Posted by The PM News on
As the integrated measles campaign begins tomorrow, in Lagos state, the state government has said that no fewer than 3.9 million children, aged between one day and five years, are expected to be immunized during the exercise, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, has said.
As the integrated measles campaign begins tomorrow, in Lagos state, the state government has said that no fewer than 3.9 million children, aged between one day and five years, are expected to be immunized during the exercise, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, has said.
Idris, who stated this yesterday, at a press briefing to herald the beginning of the week-long campaign in the state, noted that the campaign was informed by the need to reduce infant and child morbidity and mortality in measles as well as interrupt the spread of wild polio virus transmission among children aged between one day and five years.
The commissioner opined that to ensure the success of the campaign and the goal of ensuring that all children in the age bracket are immunized, many training workshops have been organised to strengthen the capacity of relevant health workers in micro-planning and social mobilisation that cut across the state, local government and ward levels.
Dr. Idris explained that measles, which is a highly infectious disease caused by the measles virus, is one of the six childhood killer diseases, adding that if it does not kill the child, it leaves it with severe lifelong disabilities, like blindness, brain damage and deafness, hence it is important that every child within the age bracket is immunized.
'The combined measles/polio campaign offers us a great opportunity to access our children, reduce child mortality and morbidity in measles as well as interrupt wild polio virus transmission among children less than five years,'' he explained.
Idris also pointed out that an estimated one million deaths occurred globally, yearly, from measles infection alone, with Nigeria accounting for a significant proportion of these deaths arising from the infection and its complications, noting that it can only be prevented through routine measles vaccination.
He posited that this year's campaign will not be the usual house-to-house visitations by vaccinators but instead, children are expected to be brought to local government health facilities, while other places such as schools, town halls, markets, churches and mosques will also serve as temporary fixed posts.
Idris, while stressing the need for the immunization, irrespective of immunisation/vaccination status of the child, noted that a child who has been immunized occasionally, may not develop full protection, hence, it is important for children to receive extra doses during the campaign, stressing that it is perfectly safe to vaccinate a child against measles, even if he/she has common illnesses such as diarrhoea, cold or if the child is malnourished.
The commissioner then urged all parents/guardians to ensure the immunization of their wards so as to protect them from this vaccine-preventable disease, just as he called on all chairmen of local governments and local council development areas and their staff to be extremely committed to ensuring the success of this campaign so as to promote good health of the children.
According to him, 'I wish to encourage all parents/guardians to make every effort to get their children immunized. This campaign is another window of opportunity to protect our children from these vaccine-preventable diseases, as well as Vitamin A deficiency.'