About 15 million children are to be immunised against measles in all southern states of Nigeria as part of the national integrated measles campaign, the Federal Government said yesterday.
This is even as the government said MenAfric Campaign would also be conducted in seven states of the North, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) against meningitis.
The states are: Adamawa, Niger, Kaduna, Taraba, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Plateau and FCT.
This was contained in a statement signed by Acting Head, Public Relations Unit, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Oweh Otu, in Abuja.
More than 23 million doses of MenAfric vaccines and other injection devices, according to the statement, had been procured and distributed to the beneficiary states.
The campaign targets children aged one to 29 years to be administered with CSM vaccine against the most epidemic prone type of the bacteria responsible for meningitis.
About 90,000 health workers, the statement said, were trained and deployed, while two senior supervisors were deployed to each local government area for the campaign "to ensure quality implementation".
The statement read: "About 15 million doses of safe and potent measles vaccines were released for the immunisation exercise in the southern states.
The campaign is expected to help reduce growing measles case burden in Nigeria.
Quoting NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr. Ado Muhammad, the statement said the Integrated Measles Campaign would vaccinate children aged nine to 59 months against measles while oral polio vaccines will be administered for children from 0- 59 months against poliomyelitis and other antigens which, the statement said, would be available for immunization of eligible children, "irrespective of their previous status".
Dr. Mohammad said about 400,000 health workers had been trained and deployed to the implementing states, adding that senior supervisors and development partners would be engaged to ensure effectiveness.
He added that vaccines would be provided to eligible children both at designated fixed posts and outreach posts, such as schools, mosques, churches and markets, among others.
Mohammad, therefore, appealed to political, traditional, religious and community leaders to assist vaccinating teams in their areas by ensuring that all under five children are mobilised and made available for the exercise.