Ogun State - Take Advantage of On-Going Measles Campaign, Parents in Ogun Tasked

[OgunState]

 Parents, guardians and caregivers in Ogun State have been charged to take advantage of the on-going statewide 5–day Integrated Measles Campaign ending next Wednesday to vaccinate their under-5 year children and wards against measles attack and polio paralysis.     Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka gave the charge today in Abeokuta, the State capital while monitoring the exercise.     The Commissioner said the need to embark on the exercise became imperative to increase the herd immunity of children against measles and polio virus, following the discovery that between late and early this year, there had been an increase in the cases of measles attack in the State.     “Measles is one of the six childhood killer diseases leading to deaths and blindness among unvaccinated children in Africa. It is a vaccine- preventable disease and that is why the campaign is conducted in the Southern States including Ogun State to protect the children”, he pointed out.     He therefore enjoined the parents to approach health facilities and temporary fixed posts such as schools, market places among others across the State where their children aged 0-59 months and 9-59 months would be given Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and measles vaccine respectively, adding that they would strengthen their immunity against the diseases.     Speaking in the same vein, Coordinator of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the State, Dr. Wale Famiyesin noted that immunization remained the most cost effective means of protecting children against killer diseases, calling on parents, care givers and other stakeholders to give routine immunization activity such as the ongoing campaign its deserved attention.     His counterpart in the United Nations children Education Fund (UNICEF), Mrs. Florence Molokwu affirmed the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and antigens for immunization, urging that any of side- effect noticed should be reported to health officials and facilities around.