Cholera: WHO begins vaccination in Bayelsa

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in Yenagoa on Friday said it has flag off the Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) in Bayelsa.

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Dr Marcus Oluwadare, the State Coordinator WHO, revealed that Bayelsa is the first state in the country to receive the vaccines which he advised was safe for children above one year.

“Bayelsa is the first state in the country to receive the Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV), which is safe for children above one year of age,” Oluwadare said.

The coordinator, however, said that the state’s response to health emergency was very impressive.

The Bayelsa Government appealed to the people of the state to make themselves available for the ongoing oral cholera vaccination as a preventive measure against the communicable disease.

Gov Douye Diri, represented by his deputy, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made the appeal during the flag-off of cholera vaccination campaign by the WHO in the state.

The governor said that the vaccines were safe to boost their immune systems and expressed gratitude to the WHO for its collaborative efforts with the state government in addressing health issues in Bayelsa.

He said that it was as a result of the proactive measures and prompt response by the state government and all stakeholders in the health sector that the
impact of outbreak of the epidemics in the six states in the South-South zone was not felt in Bayelsa.

Diri directed the Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Orientation, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai to create the necessary awareness about the need for the cholera vaccination as part of efforts to promote healthy living.

He said: “l encourage Bayelsa people and residents to go out en masse to get vaccinated with the Oral Cholera Vaccine because it is safe and has zero side effects.
“I commend Hon. Moses Marlon, member representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 3, and his colleague, Hon. Bonnie Ayah, representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 1, who have demonstrated leadership by taking the vaccine.

“We urge local government council chairmen to also go to their headquarters to take the vaccine to show that the vaccine is safe. If you take this vaccine, for 3 years, you will not have cholera.

“Our health system is so resilient, robust and proactive that despite those episodes of the six layers of epidemics we had in the state.

“No life was lost in our state but unfortunately, in other states, lives were lost. And so, we want to thank WHO, one of our partners, who have been supporting our health system. We are happy that WHO has continued to partner us in every inch of our response to any epidemic,” he said.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, expressed government’s commitment to strengthen public health emergency response systems in the state.

Brisibe said the WHO has released 7,000 doses of the cholera vaccine to cover Southern Ijaw and Nembe Local Government Areas to kick-start the vaccination in the state.

He stressed the need to increase the uptake, noting that the state has not recorded any side effects from all the vaccinations including the cholera and the ongoing malaria vaccination exercise.

The Commissioner applauded the governor Diri-led administration for its intervention through periodic medical outreaches to save lives across communities in Bayelsa.

NAN/Wumi