The Enugu State Government says over 1.5 million children have so far received vaccination against measles and rubella within a week in the ongoing statewide immunisation against the diseases.
Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Ocheku, Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), disclosed this during the flag off of integrated Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign held at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu on Wednesday.
Ani-Ocheku added that the number represented about 68 per cent of the target population of 2.2 million children in the state, describing the figure as unprecedented and the state’s commitment to achieving zero cases of the diseases.
She equally described the exercise as a “historic and deliberate” move to protect the future of the state.
“We are gathered here today not just for a ceremony but for a declaration. We declare that the life of a child in Nsukka is as valuable as the life of a child in New York.
“In Enugu, the health of our children is non-negotiable. We declare zero measles and zero rubella in Enugu State,” she said.
According to her, health workers embarked on aggressive community mobilisation, moving from house to house, schools, churches and mosques to ensure that no child was left out.
She said that no serious adverse effects had been recorded since the exercise began.
The executive secretary explained that measles incubates for 10 to 14 days, and can cause blindness, deafness, brain swelling and even death, while rubella, incubating for 14 to 21 days, posed serious risks including congenital disabilities in unborn children.
“Science has gifted us a vaccine, one shot, double protection. The vaccine is safe and effective, and this success belongs to our communities”.
She commended Gov. Peter Mbah for his administration’s reforms in the health sector, including the transformation of primary healthcare departments into functional Local Government Health Authorities and timely release of counterpart funding,
Flagging the exercise off earlier, Gov Mbah, represented the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, described the vaccination campaign as a “sacred obligation” of government.
He said, “Our future is not in the roads we build or the industries we attract. Our future is sitting in classrooms, playing in courtyards and lying in cradles across Enugu State. Our future is our children”.
The governor stressed that health remained a central pillar of his administration’s economic strategy, noting that a sick child could not learn or grow into the Innovator, Engineer or leader.
He highlighted key reform carried out by the government to include granting autonomy to local government health authorities to remove bottlenecks in service delivery and sanitising primary healthcare payroll systems,
According to him, the reforms include revitalising health training institutions, and ensuring access to Basic Health Care Provision Funds.
He urged parents and caregivers to take advantage of the remaining days of the campaign to close the immunity gap, by ensuring their children between nine months and 14 years received the vaccines.
“In vaccination, 68 per cent is commendable, but it is not enough. The virus looks for the gaps. Let us find the remaining children. Our goal is simple, zero measles, zero rubella, full protection,” he said.
In goodwill messages, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu and the Chairman of Oji River Local Government Area, Mr Greg, Anyaegbudike, urged parents and caregivers who have children of nine months to 14 years to be vaccinated.
Ugwu called on them to make their children available for the vaccines before the Feb. 15 deadline, assuring residents that the vaccines were safe, effective and critical to safeguarding the health and future of Enugu children.
The two-week exercise began on Feb. 3 will end in Feb. 15.
