Anambra State Governor’s wife urges indigenes to prioritize vaccination programmes

The wife of the Governor of Anambra state, Mrs Nonye Soludo has urged parents and other caregivers to prioritize vaccination programmes, by turning out massively for the free vaccinations as well as making sure that their children and wards also get inoculated.

Mrs Soludo stated this in Awka, while commenting on the launch of the second phase of measles and covid-19 vaccination for four major local government areas hit by the recent flood disaster, as well as the Rota virus vaccination for the twenty-one local government areas of Anambra State.

She stated that the scheduled measles and Rota virus vaccination exercises in Anambra State, provide important opportunities for everyone, especially children in the state, to be protected from identified killer diseases and both programmes should be taken seriously by every resident of the state.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Anambra State Ministry of Health, through the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA), is set to launch free measles and covid-19 vaccinations for Ogbaru, Ayamelum, Anambra East and West Local Government Areas, who are among the worst-hit flood zones in Anambra State.

Though similar exercises have been carried out across seventeen other LGAs in Anambra State in the first phase, the current phase is considered most timely on the heel of the flood wreck which has taken heavy economic and health tolls on the affected people.

Both the WHO and Anambra State Government shall also be kicking off a statewide Rota virus vaccination, to eliminate the deadly virus that causes diarrhoea.

Mrs Soludo also asked community and religious leaderships, schools and local socio-political bodies, to encourage women and children under their umbrellas to take the programmes seriously.

The governor’s wife, who emphasized the importance of ensuring that pregnant and nursing mothers are actively involved in the exercises, urged the heath providers to also ensure even reach across all the communities that were affected by the flood.

She praised health partners in Anambra State, including WHO and Clinton Assess Health Initiative, CHAI, who are making efforts to help re-develop the State’s health sector.

In an interview, the Anambra State Coordinator for WHO, Dr Adamu Abdulnasir, said that both exercises are targeted mainly for women and children, considering their health vulnerabilities.

He commended the governor’s wife for showing keen interest in the right health for Anambra women and children, and most importantly leading the advocacy for hygiene and dietary habits and helping to advance the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal’s targets.

The measles and covid-19 vaccinations for the four local government areas are scheduled for 15th to 25th of November, 2022, same week as the Rota virus vaccination campaign.

S.S