NASARAWA, Nigeria – The Nasarawa State Government has urged residents across its 13 Local Government Areas to embrace the forthcoming Federal Government’s immunisation campaign against Measles and Rubella, scheduled for launch in October.
Speaking in Lafia at a one-day orientation for journalists on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Usman Iskilu-Saleh, said the campaign was crucial in safeguarding children against the two deadly viral diseases.
Represented by the Director of Immunisation in the Agency, Ismaila Oko, Iskilu-Saleh, explained that the sensitisation meeting aimed to equip journalists with accurate information on the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine for wider public dissemination.
“Misinformation has been a major challenge to vaccine uptake. That is why we are engaging the media to spread the correct message about the Measles-Rubella vaccine,” he said.
He noted that the MR vaccine, developed as a single dose to protect children against both measles and rubella, would be administered free of charge to children aged between nine months and 14 years across designated public health facilities.
“The campaign will run from October 4 to October 14. Thereafter, the Measles-Rubella vaccine will be integrated into the state’s routine immunisation schedule,” he added.
A consultant on the MR vaccine campaign, Dr. Kayode Olawuyi, said the nationwide exercise was targeting over 104 million children across the country.
He described the vaccine as safe, having been certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Agency for Food, Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
“The vaccine will be given as an injection on the upper left arm of children, regardless of their previous vaccination status,” Olawuyi explained.
One of the facilitators, Kalu Idika, tasked journalists to use their platforms responsibly to shape positive public perception about the vaccine and counter anti-vaccine sentiments.
