Chioma Umeha
 |
| Special Adviser to the Governor on Primary Health Care, Dr. Olufemi Onanuga immunizing a child against polio at a Flag-Off Ceremony to signal commencement of second round 2018 National Immunization Plus Days at Agege weekend. |
The Lagos State Government has said it will
immunise 4.8 million children aged zero to 59 months in the second round of
2018 National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs), polio vaccination campaign which
commenced on Saturday.
Announcing this was Dr. Olufemi Onanuga, Special
Adviser to the Governor on Primary Health Care, who said the vaccination which
would end Tuesday, is taking
place at all designated sites in the State.
Onanuga also assured on the level of preparedness for the
campaign at a flag-off ceremony to signal the commencement of the campaign at
Agege Local Government Secretariat.
He
said, “The NIPDs would involve house-to-house, transit and fixed post teams. In
all, Lagos State will mount 752 fixed posts, 4859 house-to-house and 1712 transit
teams, children at home, markets, churches, mosques, major car parks and social
events venues would be specifically targeted”, he said.
Onanuga added that plans have been made to
implement activities that would attract children and care givers to vaccination
posts stressing that the vaccination campaign will hold between the hours of
8am and 2pm daily for four days.
He further observed that the goal of the State
government is to increase the number of children between zero and 59 months who
receive two drops of oral polio vaccine irrespective of their previous
immunization status.
The Special Adviser viewed that this will boost
children’s immunity against
poliomyelitis.
He explained, “To ensure the success of this
year’s polio vaccination campaign, many training sessions have been conducted
to strengthen the capacity of relevant health workers.
“The State government has equally embarked on
massive media campaigns involving airing of jingles while LGA social mobilizers
are moving within communities to sensitize and mobilize citizenry effectively.”
Onanuga stressed that town announcements;
community dialogues; mosque and church announcements; sensitizations with
schools; and advocacy meetings with LGA Chairmen, Ward Councillors, Supervisory
Councillors for Health, and key traditional and religious leaders have been and
are being carried out.
While appealing to parent and caregiver to ensure
that all the children in Lagos between 0 months and 59 months received two oral
drops of polio vaccine during this campaign, the Special Adviser stated the
vaccination service is free.
He also said, the vaccine is safe and effective,
and is to be administered to the children irrespective of their previous
immunisation status.
Said he “I hereby seize this opportunity to encourage
our parents and care givers to ensure that their children and wards are taken
to the primary health care clinics to receive vaccine and all other scheduled
immunizations. This campaign is another window of opportunity to protect our
children from vaccine preventable diseases.”
Onanuga who noted that the responsibility to
vaccinate all eligible children against measles is not that of the parents and
care givers alone added that the responsibility rests on everybody to ensure
that children are fully immunized against childhood preventable diseases.
“The State government is particularly interested
in the health of the children and as such is prepared to carry out any activity
that will ensure that their right to health is attained. Polio is one of the major
killer diseases of children under the age of five years which can be prevented
by vaccination”, the Special Adviser posited.
