By Samuel Luka
In an effort to curb Polio, measles and other vaccine preventable diseases, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Bauchi field office has commenced an integrated vaccination campaign across five states of the Northern Nigeria, targeting over Nine million children.
Briefing newsmen at the UNICEF office in Bauchi on Friday, Health officer with the Fund, Patrick Akor mentioned that the oral Polio Vaccination is targeting 6, 815,691 children, aged 0 to 59 months.
Akor who further stated that over 3 million children are targeted for measles vaccination during the campaign which will commence 2nd November, 2024, said the exercise will cover five states of Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe and Plateau.
According to him, the integrated measles vaccination campaign alongside with others for children will be administered within the next one week, adding that the move was prompted by the inability of the Nigeria to record the 95 percent vaccination target coverage.
"The last measles campaign conducted was in 2022 and this has revealed that as a country we didn't meet our target coverage of 95 percent and we know that measles remains a big threat to children", he said.
The Health officer noted that measles and other child related diseases are responsible for mortality, blindness and some other health life threatening conditions.
Mr Akor stressed that it was imperative that the governments with support from UNICEF and other UN agencies actually carry out the campaign to ensure that children whether in remote areas, security compromise areas are protected from measles and other vaccine preventable diseases.
The UNICEF Health officer explained that while Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi and Adamawa would be implementing measles vaccination campaign alongside other diseases such as polio, Taraba state will be implementing the OBR which is just polio.
According to him, UNICEF has been working alongside other partners and the federal government through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the state agencies to ensure that different aspects of the campaigns are covered.
Also speaking, Social Behavioral Change Specialist with the UNICEF,
George Eki said Bauchi field office of the Fund has made logistics support available to the states, especially the vaccines to ensure the success of the campaign.
He added that, there are also commodities which UNICEF has provided to ensure proper storage of the vaccines, including advocacy Communication and Social Mobilization to boost wider coverage.
Eki explained that UNICEF is providing support to all the states to ensure that the general public become aware of the vaccination campaign and the age bracket of the would be vaccinated children.
"We have done this through various Community engagement activities, engaging traditional leaders, religious leaders, Community leaders and even teachers, because we know that those to benefit from the vaccines are mostly school children", he said.
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