By Tayo Joseph Lagos
The Oyo State Government has deployed 80,351 individuals to serve as House to House mobilizers, facilitators, town announcers and social mobilizers for the on-going 2018 measles immunization across the state from March 15 to 27, 2018.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan disclosed this on Thursday in Ibadan during the flag-off of the 2018 measles vaccination campaign at Ibadan North Local Government area.
Dr. Adeduntan said that the present administration in the state is committed to ensuring that children in between the ages of 9months to 5years do not die prematurely, noting that this propelled the state government to engage massive mobilizers for the 2018 measles vaccination campaign to reduce maternal mortality and infant mortality rates.
The Commissioner explained that measles is a very creeping disease which causes pneumonia, rashes, redness of eyes and lips, rough skin, catarrh, and loss of appetite for children, saying that it is important for mothers and carers to get their children immunized.
He stated that the campaign, which will hold from March 15 to 27 across the 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and their LCDAs, will be in two phases with the first phase covering 17 local government areas and the second phase will cover the remaining 16 LGAs.
Dr Adeduntan allayed the fears of mothers over the rumour that measles vaccine and immunization kill as well as affect the mental attitude of the underage children, saying that immunization is very important for the well-being of the children with no side effect.
He enjoined mothers and carers in the State to cooperate with health officials to immunize their children in all primaries health care centres and other designated centres assigned for measles immunization exercise within the state to ensure that no child is left behind during the exercise.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Waheed Lanre Abass, said that the board has deployed more than Eighty Thousands individuals to serve as facilitators, town announcers and social mobilizers towards the campaign to cover every nooks and cranny of the state, stressing that the issue of security would be taken care of during the exercise to ensure that children have free access to the measles vaccine.
He however appealed to mothers and care-givers to avail themselves the opportunity of this measles vaccination campaign to get every eligible child from 9 to 59 months participate in measles immunization.
