C’River Flags Off 2018 Second National Immunization Plus Days

The 2018 Second National Immunization Plus days has been flagged-off in the Cross River State with a promise to keep away polio disease from the boundaries of the state.
The ceremony was held at the Assemblies of God Church, 91 Nelson Mandela Street, Calabar South Local Government Area.
While flagging-off the exercise, the Deputy Governor of the state, Prof Ivara Esu said, the policy thrust of the Governor Ben Ayade-led administration was to have zero percent polio and other childhood killer diseases within the confines of the state.
He explained that, the government does not want any child to grow without being immunized, and promised to continue to do everything possible to ensure that every child between 0-59 months was immunized.
The deputy governor called on parents to present their children for the exercise, which also covers other childhood killer diseases to enable government achieve its set objective.
In their remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong and the Director-General, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Betta Edu stated that the target in the on-going polio immunization was to achieve 100 percent with, at least, 800,000 from 0-5 years due to receive the polio vaccine in the state.
They disclosed that the state government, in conjunction with donor partners, have mobilized 7,500 voluntary health workers to carry out the immunization in every nooks and crannies of the state.
The health sector drivers maintained that the state was seen as the best child survival in the country, and called on parents, caregivers and other stakeholders in the health sector to ensure that the state maintains its polio disease-free status.
Goodwill messages were presented by the Chairman, state House of Assembly Committee on Health, Dr. Ekpo Ekpo Bassey, HOLGA Calabar South, Rev. Christiana Elemi, Rotary representative, Mrs. Regina Udobong, World Health Organization representative, Dr Tom Igbu and that of UNICEF, Dr. Ephraim Chukwu.
The highpoint of the exercise was the official flag-off and immunization of the children by the Deputy Governor, Prof Ivara Esu, supported by the Commissioner for Health, the D.G, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, donor agencies and partners.

Friday Nwagbara, Calabar