The Kwara Government on Friday flagged off another round of measles campaign and routine immunisation intensification exercise in all the 193 wards and 16 local government areas of the state.
Speaking during the programme in Ilorin, the Deputy Governor, Mr Kayode Alabi, who is also the Chairman of the state taskforce on immunisation, described the campaign as the intensification of another life saving intervention meant to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality.
He said that measles is an acute and highly infectious disease caused by the measles virus.
“It is one of the leading causes of illnesses and deaths among children under five years of age.
“More than 17,000 measles cases are reported every year in Nigeria with thousands of cases never documented,” he said.
Alabi implored all mothers and caregivers to avail their children of the opportunity of preventing untimely deaths through Vaccine Preventable Diseases by making them available for the routine immunisation outreach.
Dr Nusirat Elelu, the Executive Secretary, Kwara Primary Health Care Development Agency, said that available data has shown that the use of measles vaccine has resulted in over 84 per cent reduction in measles deaths.
The executive secretary said that currently, 70 per cent of all measles cases are among children under five years of age who missed being vaccinated in the first year of life.
“A single dose of measles vaccine is not enough to attain the minimum 95% immunity required to get the target group protected, as only 85 per cent of children who receive first dose measles vaccine will seroconvert.
“This has necessitated the need to re-vaccinate with a second dose measles vaccine to protect the rest of the 15% who failed to seroconvert.
“This will also provide opportunity to vaccinate children who missed the first dose in the first year of life,” she explained.
On his part, the Speaker, Kwara House of Assembly, Mr Yakubu Salihu, said that traditional rulers in the state have a key role to play in the success of the measles campaign.
The speaker said that the traditional institution would be able to pass the right information that would encourage their subjects at the grassroots to participate actively in the exercise.
Dr Abdulahi Salisu of the World Health Organisation (WHO), on behalf of other global partners, commended the state government on the efforts made so far at intensifying campaign on measles and other diseases.
Salisu pledged the partners resolve to continue supporting the state government to achieve 95 per cent coverage target. (NAN). READ ALSO:
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