Writing by Aminu Dalhatu;Editing by Abubakar Hamza.
The Wife of the Zamfara State Governor, Hajiya Huriyya Dauda Lawal, has announced plans to reach more than 10,000 settlements across the state with vaccines against polio, measles, and rubella.
She made this known during a media dialogue on the forthcoming Measles and Rubella Integrated Campaign, held in Gusau.
Represented by the Executive Secretary, Zamfara State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Yakubu Hussaini Anka explained that, the integrated campaign was part of the Federal Government’s new initiative to combine measles and rubella vaccines under the national immunization schedule.
According to Hajiya Huriyya the campaign would help reduce the prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases in Nigeria.
“This campaign will not only focus on measles and rubella, but also include vaccination against polio virus and the human papillomavirus (HPV), which targets girls aged 9 to 14 years,” she said.
Gajiyan Huriyya noted that Zamfara State Government, in collaboration with development partners including WHO, UNICEF, Sultan Foundation, Solina Group, eHealth, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), had trained supervisors and technical staff across all 14 local government areas in preparation for the exercise.
She revealed that, more than 1,280 vaccination teams have been mobilized across 147 wards, covering the state’s 724 primary healthcare centers and 23 secondary health facilities.
“Each team will consist of vaccinators, recorders, and health educators responsible for community sensitization and mobilization”
Hajiya Huriyya Lawal stressed that, the campaign would be conducted in schools, health facilities, homes, playgrounds, and other public places, while mobile teams will reach children in hard-to-reach communities to ensure no child is left behind.
She called on religious and traditional leaders to support the campaign by educating their followers during sermons and community meetings about the importance of vaccination.
“Rubella infection can cause serious complications, especially for pregnant women, including miscarriage or birth defects,” she said. “We therefore urge parents and guardians to allow their children to be vaccinated when the teams visit their communities.
According to her, it was a multi-sectoral effort to safeguard the health
Huriyya called on journalist to help in deseminating the campaign to achieve the desired objective.
Cov/Aminu Dalhatu.
