Nigerian Government To Partner With Oyo On Integrated Measles Campaign

The Federal Government has declared its readiness to partner with the Oyo State Government and other healthcare stakeholders to reduce child mortality and morbidity across the state, by embarking on integrated measles campaign for children between 9 months and 5 years.

The integrated campaign, which includes measles and polio immunisation, as well as Covid-19 vaccination for adults, would cut across all the 33 local government areas in the state.

The Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Muyideen Olatunji, who disclosed this at a news conference held in Ibadan, the state capital, noted that the vaccination exercise would commence on the 20th of October, 2022.

Olatunji, who was represented by the Director of Public Health, Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Johnson Osoko, assured that the vaccines were completely safe to be administred.

He explained that the idea of including other health interventions to the vaccination exercise was strategically programmed in line with the state government’s drive to ensure qualitative health care delivery to people at the grassroots.

He said: “The important thing is that it is not only one vaccine that we are taking now, we are doing other health interventions along with it. Measles campaign, going with vitamin A supplementation. And this is a strategy to make sure we extend health services to our people at the slightest opportunity.

“Also, the role of the media in this task cannot be over-emphasised knowing fully well that the media has the control of spreading information to the whole world within seconds but the information going out must be true, must be proven and must be cross-checked at appropriate quarters before it goes to town,” Osoko said.

Adequate training

The Programme Manager, Oyo State Emergency and Routine Coordination Center, Dr Adeyemi Adewole, noted that officials for the mass measles vaccination campaign had been well trained and as such there was no need for any anxiety or skepticism during the exercise, adding that there would be fixed posts and mobile points to allow for better coverage.

He said: “The fixed posts would be our various health facilities, the vaccines will be available there. Then the mobile points will be places like markets, schools, where people can easily access. So if you have a child that is between the ages of 9 months and five years, you can just bring the child up for measles vaccination. Also other vaccines are available that will be administered. They can give vitamin A supplementation just to make sure the child is well protected.”

The representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Oyo State office, Dr Bukola Alawale, said measles is highly contagious and one of the vaccine preventable diseases.

He noted that the WHO would leverage the integrated campaign vaccination to reduce motality and mobility across the state, most especially in children.

Reducing infant mortality

In their various goodwill messages, representatives from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), UNICEF and other partners, were unanimous in harping on the need for collaboration to ensure reduction in infant mortality and morbidity rate in the state.

They urged the media to help sensitise the public through the dissemination of well-established information.

Research shows that about one in every six children in Nigeria dies before age five due to poor access to basic and improved healthcare services, resulting in high rate of child mortality and morbidity.

Emmanuel Ukoh