Wife of Delta State Governor, Mrs Tobore Oborevwori has flagged off the awareness and sensitization campaign for Measles-Rubella Vaccine in Asaba as a routine vaccine in the National programme on Immunization with an appeal to traditional rulers, community and religious leaders, parents, development partners,health workers and the media to work in synergy for the success of the programme.
At a well attended ceremony, Mrs Oborevwori said the program was targeted at sensitizing mothers and caregivers on the efficacy of vaccines to prevent childhood diseases and to ensure that all children are given appropriately.
She described the initiative by the Nigeria governors spouses forum to spearhead the campaign for Measles-Rubella Vaccine as a step in the right direction.”The importance of this advocacy is to increase vaccine access and acceptability particularly in areas with low vaccination rate.
This will eventually ensure a reduction in children suffering from measles and Rubella as well as complications arising from the disease which includes blindness, brain damage and death”
‘The MORE agenda of this administration under the leadership of our Governor my husband is committed to the well being of all Deltans, ensuring that childhood diseases and child mortality are reduced to the barest minimum through effective immunization; this is our chance to benefit from this laudable program to protect the health of our children especially at the grassroots”
The Delta State First Lady urged parents and caregivers to take advantage of the vaccination services provided by the National Programme on Immunization(NPI), saying that ”It is the right of every child to be vaccinated and saved from the vaccine preventable diseases. The vaccines are safe and effective, save lives and are administered free of charge”
Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojaeme said the Measles -Rubella Vaccines were meant for children aged nine months to fifteen years, and that the vaccines were safe.
He said, ” the measles-rubella is a highly infectious and viral disease transmitted through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes. It can also spread through direct contact with the nasal secretion from an infected person. It poses substantial risks to pregnant women in particular. Infected pregnant women have been reported to transmit the disease to their unborn ”
The Health Commissioner said the vaccine would curb the morbidity and mortality related to measles and rubella diseases, even as he thanked the state and federal government for ensuring the health security of Deltans.
According to Dr Onojaeme, officials of the state and federal governments will be doing the immunisation across the 441 health centres in the state, just as he dismissed all myths related to vaccine acceptance.
There were goodwill messages from stakeholders including World Health Organization, UNICEF , Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria and NGO known as C-WINS.Highlight of the awareness and sensitization campaign included health talk on the Measles -Rubella Vaccine, and the investiture of local government immunization champions.
