Nation
922,463 Get Yellow Fever Vaccination In Enugu
No fewer than 922,463 residents in Enugu State will be vaccinated in the ongoing massive yellow fever vaccination in three local government council areas, where there is confirmed yellow fever outbreak.
The Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), Dr George Ugwu, disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu on Thursday.
Ugwu listed the council areas to include Igboeze North 333,551 residents, Nsukka 398,094 residents, and Isi-Uzo 190,818 residents, adding that the numbers mentioned in each council area represented 85 per cent of the entire population.
According to him, the state government has gotten enough stock of the yellow fever vaccines for the ongoing vaccination as well as fully trained and mobilised the vaccinators to fixed Primary Health Centres (PHCs), special outreach centres and house-to-house approach.
He further said that the massive vaccination was meant for people between the ages of nine months and 44 years; adding that everyone within this mentioned age range is expected to receive the vaccination in the three council areas.
The executive secretary went on to say that after the ongoing massive vaccination in the affected council areas; there would be escalation of mass vaccination to about 10 neighbouring council areas, before the entire state yellow fever vaccination would arrive.
His words, “There is no need to panic or send the wrong information, the government is in control of the yellow fever outbreak clinically and has taken right and appropriate steps to see that our people are protected.
“Already, the Agency has continued to engage in robust community mobilisation, sensitisation, health education and promotion.
“We have adequate supplies of yellow fever vaccines and accessories to all health facilities and outreach centres as well as properly trained, oriented and deployed all cadres of health workers and teams.
“We are also doing mass reactive vaccination for eligible and most susceptible persons aged nine months to 44 years as well as monitoring the outbreak response activities in the council areas” he said.
He, therefore assured that the state government had fully mobilised and had continued with fumigation of Ette community and its environs as well as all other communities directly affected in the outbreak.
Ugwu, however, appreciated Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his personal concern and timely intervention, which had led to the control and robust capacity to tackle the dreaded yellow fever outbreak.
Continuing, Ugwu added, “We also thank the Deputy Governor, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, for support and supervisory guidance to issues that concern the health of the rural people and residents of Enugu state in general.
He noted that the Wife of the Governor, Mrs Monica Ugwuanyi, had greatly assisted in providing medical consumables, drugs as well as health awareness and education programmes to the rural people.
“I quite appreciate the technical and other support of the state Ministry of Health; Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), NCDC, UNICEF, WHO, among others.
Going forward, the executive secretary called for technical, material and financial assistance from relevant institutions such as national and international agencies and partners, adding; “Government cannot do it alone’’.
“We are also requesting for more funding and support for effective containment of the outbreak as well as request and receipt of more yellow fever vaccines for our expanded programme from the NPHCDA’’.
By: Canice Amadi, Enugu
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3