Integrated Measles Campaign: Ogun targets over one million children for vaccination

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health Dr. Tomi Coker, on thursday, stated that the state’s goal for the seven-day Integrated Measles Campaign, is to vaccinate 1,136,953 children between the ages of nine and fifty-nine months throughout the 20 local governments.

According to Punch, Dr. Coker disclosed this during a news conference at the Ministry of Health’s Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

This campaign is said to begin on Saturday.

Coker described measles as a virus-borne illness that can cause blindness, serious complications, and even death.

This disease spreads easily through the air.
She revealed that between 2000 and 2022, the immunization helped prevent 57 million lives worldwide.

The commissioner said that there is a safe and affordable vaccination that may be used to combat the viral sickness.

Additionally, she mentioned that an estimated 136,000 people died from measles worldwide.

In 2022, this was primarily among children under the age of five who were either unvaccinated or undervaccinated.

The commissioner stated that in order to help reduce measles worldwide, the state government vaccinated 1,047,150 children aged 9 to 59 months against measles and 5,594,968 children aged 9 to 59 months and adults aged 5 to 49 years against yellow fever across the 20 local governments during the 2022 Integrated Measles and Yellow Fever Campaign exercise.

She said that the number of confirmed cases of measles decreased significantly as a result of this program two years ago, from 118 in October 2022 to 15 in the same month in 2024.

There were zero confirmed instances of yellow fever down from three in october 2020, over the same time period this year.

She said “The measles campaign this year is targeting, approximately 1,136,953 children 9 months to 59 months spread across the 20 LGs from the 19″ to 25” October 2024.

“Over 5,000 health workers will be deployed in teams to various posts during the 7 days of the campaign.

“I would also like to inform us that the campaign will involve the use of Government Health Facilities (Primary Secondary and Tertiary), churches, mosques, market, schools, parks and garages, and other designated temporary fixed posts.

“The state government has also provided funds to ensure children in hard to hard-to-reach/difficult terrains in the various local government are not left out of this campaign.

“Over a million doses of measles vaccines, immunization cards and syringes have been received from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and have been distributed to the various local government health authority cold stores for the exercise which will begin on the 19th of October 2024”, she stated.

According to her, the campaign would be launched on Friday at Saint Peters Anglican Primary School Siun, located in the state’s Obafemi Owode Local Government.

In order to take advantage of the campaign, the Commissioner has urged parents, guardians, and caregivers to bring their children (9 months to 59 months) to the designated centers located throughout the 236 wards of the state’s 20 Local Governments.

The Commissioner reportedly described the vaccine as safe, effective, and cost-free.

Coker praised Gov. Dapo Abiodun as a truly loving father, especially for his unwavering support of the state’s health sector, notably its immunization services, and other partners for providing financial and technical assistance to all state health initiatives.

About Integrated Measles Campaign

The Integrated Measles Campaign is an essential program aimed at increasing vaccination against measles and other vaccine-preventable infections.

The campaign commerneced when measles epidemics started to reappear in some areas of Nigeria.

All services are offered at the same place throughout the exercise.

It also vaccinates children aged 9 to 59 months against all childhood fatalities.

Among these deadly illnesses is measles.

It also administers COVID-19 vaccines to persons aged 18 years and above.

Key Objectives

– Increasing efficiency and effectiveness: Enhance basic healthcare services so that parents and caregivers can use more than one service at once.

– Expand Vaccination Coverage: Provide health treatments, such as COVID-19, polio and measles vaccinations, and vitamin A supplements, to both adults and children.

– Lower Childhood Mortality Rate: Lower the childhood mortality rate by preventing outbreaks and covering zero-dose instances.

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