The Federal Government’s programme introducing Meningitis vaccine into the existing immunisation programme begins today in Rivers State.
Declaring the programme open in a parley with the media at the weekend in Port Harcourt, the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board (RSPHCMB), Dr Agiriye Monima Harry, said the actual commencement of the targeted category of children will commence today in all primary health care facilities in the state.
Dr Harry, who was represented at the occasion by the Director, Community Health Services of the board, Dr Isaac Opurum, used the opportunity to call on parents to take their children within the age of 9-15 months to the nearest health facilities to be vaccinated against “meningitis A”
“The meningitis A vaccine, popularly call “Men A” is safe and free. It is very important because our children have the right to live”, he said.
Throwing more light on the vaccine, the state immunisation officer of the RSPHCMB, Dr Inwon Joseph Urang, said the vaccine was introduced because of the need to protect children against the causes of meningitis due to the wide spread nature of the organism causing the disease.
“This he said, is because Nigeria is among the countries regarded as meningitis belt,” which are prone to the disease.
He explained that although Rivers State is not among the identified 25 states that are prone to the ailment in the country, there are inherent factors that has necessitated the state’s involvement in the vaccination against meningitis.
“Rivers State is not among the 25 prone states, but due to global warming and the fact that there are no restriction of movement of people from the meningitis-prone states into the state, there is the need to vaccinate the identified category of children within the state,” Dr Urang said.