Oyo Government Begins Sensitisation Campaign against Priority Diseases

The Oyo State Government has kick started a sensitisation campaign against five priority diseases namely, Lassa Fever, COVID-19, Diphtheria, Cholera and Anthrax.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, while speaking at the event, stated that the programme would take place in 10 local government areas of Oke Ogun and in markets in Ibadan, the state capital.

The government flagged-off the community sensitisation programme, which is to take place in various communities across the state, in Okeho, headquarters of the Kajola Local Government Area of the state.

Dr Ajetunmobi, who stressed that the five priority diseases were preventable once people lived in a clean environment, said a clean source of water, healthy eating habits, adherence to a balanced diet and a good disposal system were key to preventing some of the diseases.

She noted that, “Vaccination and regular medical check-ups were beneficial for health and wellbeing, disclosing that the recurrence of some diseases was due to people not completing the vaccine as prescribed.”

The commissioner assured that the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration remained committed to equipping and fixing more Primary Health Care Centres to ensure that residents in the nooks and crannies of the state have quick access to health care.

Ajetunmobi noted that as part of it’s commitment to improving access to free health care services for children, pregnant women and mothers, the state government would start the maternal and child health week for vaccination and other services on Monday.

Also speaking, the State Coordinator, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dzorto Philips, stressed the need for people to wash their hands before and after eating, keep their surroundings clean and take immunisation seriously.

Similarly, the Director/Secretary, Kajola Local Government Health Authority, Okeho, Mr Abayomi Kolawole, recalled that Kajola Local Government had records of Lassa fever last year, noting that the sensitisation would prevent a recurrence of the priority diseases in the local government area this year.

Kolawole, who stressed the importance of health education on personal hygiene and environmental sanitation, appealed to residents of the council to embrace immunisation as a preventive measure against childhood killer diseases such as diphtheria, tuberculosis, measles, and meningitis.

The event had in attendance representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Breakthrough Action Nigeria, APIN Public Health Initiative, local government areas and the traditional institution.