1ST ROUND NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION PLUS DAYS: Over 200,000 Children to be Capturedin Anambra State
Anambra State Government has expressed worry over the sporadic non-compliance and rejection witnessed in the last measles campaign in some schools in some Local Government Areas of the State.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike expressed the worry while briefing newsmen on the First Round of National Immunization Plus Days in Awka.
he National Immunization Plus Days is a strategic plan to administer potent oral polio vaccine, together with other routine immunization antigens.
Represented by the Executive Secretary, Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr.ChiomaEzenyimulu,Dr Akabuike explained that the rejection was a fall-out of rumuor last year that some officials of the Nigerian Army were immunizing school children in the State.
He said the overall goal of the National Immunization Plus Days was to interrupt and ensure eradication of wild polio virus in the State.
According to him, the programme is meant for children between zero to fifty-nine months.
Dr Akabuike emphasized that vaccination team would be moving from house to house, churches, schools, mosques, markets, motor-parks and village squares to administer oral polio vaccine.
He pointed-out that, over one million children between zero to fifty-nine months would be targeted while over two hundred thousand children less than one year would be covered during the exercise.
Dr Akabuike therefore called on mothers and caregivers to avail themselves of the opportunity and ensure that their children were immunized while stressing that the vaccines were free and safe.
KEVIN EKEDIEGWU