Chioma Umeha
 |
| WHO Nigeria, Charity Warigon, Toyin Saraki and Wellbeing Foundation |
To implement a selective measles vaccination
campaign, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says it is providing technical
and financial support to the Borno state health authorities
A statement signed by Charity Warigon, the
Communication Manager, WHO, on Monday in Abuja, said that the support was aimed
to interrupt measles transmission in parts of Borno state as well as boost
vulnerable population’s immunity in newly accessible areas.
The four-day exercise targeted more than 200, 000
children of between six months to15 years. The LGAs were Magumeri, Nganzai and
Damboa where suspected outbreaks of measles were reported in April 2018.
According to the statement, other LGAs include
Bama, Dikwa, Gwoza, Kukawa, Kala Balge and Ngala where large numbers of
children who have not been vaccinated since 2014 were resettling.
WHO already trained and deployed 219 vaccination
teams to deliver potent measles vaccine to all eligible children in these areas.
She said that the redeployment was in view to
control transmission and strengthening resistance to the spread of the disease
among the population of unvaccinated newly liberated children.
Earlier in April 2018, suspected measles outbreaks
was reported in Magumeri, Nganzai and Damboa LGAs of Borno state involving more
than 350 children with 61 deaths.
“The current enhanced vaccination campaign against
measles in Borno is most appropriate in view of the fact that outbreaks have
been reported in some LGAs,”
“This is even more commendable as children who
have not been reached with vaccinations against measles since 2014 were
resettling in most of these LGAs including Bama, Dikwa, Gwoza, Kukawa, Kala
Balge and Ngala.”
The humanitarian crisis caused by conflict in
Borno state has left 3.2 million people in need of various assistance including
more than 1.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).
With more than two-thirds of health facilities
destroyed or partially functional, the population, especially children, are
vulnerable to infectious diseases like measles, malaria, respiratory infections
and diarrhoea.
The combination of malnutrition, malaria and
measles increased child deaths up to four times higher than what is considered
the emergency threshold (eight deaths per 10 000 children aged under five years
per day).
Measles is a highly contagious disease and a
leading cause of death in young children. In 2015, there were more than 134 000
measles deaths globally; most of them were children aged less than five years.
Records indicate that in 2000-2015, measles
vaccination prevented an estimated 20.3 million deaths, making measles
vaccination one of the best public health interventions.
