LOKOJA- The Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA) has urged the media to raise public awareness for its Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign for children.
The exercise is scheduled for Oct. 4 to Oct. 13.
The Executive Director of KSPHCDA, Dr Musa Mu’azu, made ths call at a one-day media orientation forum in Lokoja, organised by the agency in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners.
Mu’azu, represented by the agency’s Deputy Director Administration, Malam Musa Bashir, emphasised the crucial role of the media in creating awareness and countering misconceptions about the MR vaccine.
He urged the media to help sensitise the general public and provide timely and accurate information dissemination.
Mu’azu noted that the vaccination campaign, targeting children between 9 months and 14 years, would be carried out across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
Also, Dr Abdulrahman Hudu, UNICEF SBC Health Consultant described Measles Rubella as a highly contagious viral respiratory illness that can lead to severe complications, including brain damage, blindness, and death.
Hudu stressed that the only way to tackle the disease is through preventive measures of vaccine application, as it is incurable.
According to him, the vaccine is 95 per cent effective in preventing the disease and is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mr Shittu Momoh, State Vaccine Mobilisation Officer, highlighted the media’s critical role in disseminating information about routine immunisation.
Momoh urged the participants to take the project seriously and work together to achieve 95 per cent and above coverage of MR vaccination.
“The meeting aimed to brief the media on the forthcoming MR vaccine introduction and collaborate with them on awareness creation and sensitization of the public,” he said.
The event was attended by the WHO, AFENET, IVAC, Chigari Foundation, among others.
These partners emphasised the need for media collaboration and support towards a successful MR vaccination campaign for the benefit of the state.
They reiterated their commitment to strengthening health services in the state through advocacy visits and sensitization of citizens.
NAN reports that the Federal Government has also pledged support for the MR vaccination campaign targeting children between nine months and 15 years of age to prevent serious diseases like blindness, deafness, brain damage, and death. (NAN)
