Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Lagos State Government is set to embark on a large-scale immunization exercise, targeting over 18 million residents, in partnership with UNICEF.
The exercise, scheduled to take place on October 19th, will be conducted across all 57 Local Government Development Agencies (LCDAs) in the state.
According to Dr. Abimbola Bowale, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, the goal is to achieve herd immunity by ensuring that at least 95% of the eligible population receives the measles vaccine and 80% receive the yellow fever vaccine.
Vaccines to be Administered are Yellow Fever Vaccine: Booster doses for 85% of Lagosians aged 9 months to 44 years, Measles Vaccine: For children aged 9 months to 18 months, HPV Vaccine: To protect against cervical cancer for individuals aged 9-14 years and Polio Vaccine: As part of routine immunizations.
Dr. Bowale emphasized the importance of vaccination, stating, “Vaccination is safe and can prevent many preventable diseases from harming our people. We aim to cover 95% of Lagos’ population.”
Also speaking, Dr. Akinpelu Adetola, Immunisation Programme Coordinator for Lagos, highlighted the necessity of the state-wide campaign, citing recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, yellow fever, diphtheria, and cholera.
“The easiest way to close the immunity gap is through a state-wide immunisation activity and ramping up routine immunisation,” Dr. Adetola explained.
The Lagos State Government has engaged community development associations, religious bodies, and healthcare workers to ensure the success of the immunization drive.
By taking this proactive step, Lagos State aims to protect its residents from vaccine-preventable diseases and promote overall public health.
