By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
No fewer than 80,351 people are to serve as House to House mobilizers, facilitators, town announcers and social mobilizers in the on-going 2018 measles immunization across Oyo State.
The state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan stated this in Ibadan on Thursday at the flag-off of the 2018 measles vaccination campaign at Ibadan North Local Government area of Oyo State.
According to the Commissioner, the deployment of the 80,351 people
was in demonstration of the present administration in the state committment towards ensuring that children between the ages of 9months to 5years do not die prematurely.
Dr Adeduntan stressed that this propelled the state government to engage massive mobilizers for the 2018 measles vaccination campaign to reduce maternal mortality and infant mortality rates.
He maintained 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,” and that “it is important for mothers and carers to get their children immunized.”.
Dr Adeduntan pointed out 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.
The Commissioner however 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, adding that ‘immunization is very important for the well-being of the children with no side effect.
Dr Adeduntan then appealed to 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.
Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Waheed Lanre Abass while speaking declared 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 nook 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.
Dr Abass also urged mothers and care-givers across the state to avail themselves the opportunity of this measles vaccination campaign to get every eligible child from 9 to 59 months participate in measles immunization.
