…..Cautions Private Schools, parents
By: Ade Adeleke
The Ondo State Government has concluded arrangements to vaccinate eligible children against Measles and other diseases in the planned Integrated Measles Campaign slated for between October 20 and November 4, 2022.
To this end, the Ondo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, has urged parents, guardians and school owners to allow health workers in the state to vaccinate eligible children.
The Permanent Secretary of the Agency, Dr Francis Akanbiemu, disclosed this on Wednesday 28th September, 2022 in Akure during a Media Engagement on the planned campaign in the state.
Akanbiemu noted that the government was strategizing on how every eligible child in the state would be vaccinated irrespective of their locations, hence the lengthy time of the exercise.
He explained that 10 out of the 18 local government areas in the state would be covered by health personnel between Oct. 20 and Oct. 27 while eligible children in the remaining eight local government areas of the state would be vaccinated between Oct. 28 and Nov. 4.
“The state government will carrying out Integrated Measles Campaign in October. What this means is that we will be combining measles vaccination with other routine vaccination such as antigens, Vitamin A and others,” he said.
He said that the campaign would include Covid-19 vaccination.
According to him, the state has paid its counterpart funds and met other requirements for the exercise to commence.
Akanbiemu noted that the state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, had approved the purchase of two generating sets meant for the smooth activities of the agency and the best preservation and use of vaccines.
The Permanent Secretary said that the state was spending heavily despite paucity of funds in order to ensure that people of the state get best healthcare services.
He said that the state heath sector had significant manpower and workforce to be successful in the exercise , adding that the recently-employed health workers had been working.
He said that all antigens were available including Covid-19 vaccine, noting that vaccination was very important in fighting against any disease.
The Permanent Secretary said that children between ages of 9 months to 59 months would be vaccinated against measles during the exercise.
He said, “Usually it is for children between 0 and 12 months old but some of our children miss the vaccines and it is extended to 24 months. Even at 24 months, if there is still any of the children that misses it, they still have a chance to take it between 9 months and 59 months.
“The Covid-19 vaccine is for adults and they are required to take their doses during this exercise,”he said.
The permanent secretary said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) was also supporting the security compromised areas in terms of logistics and safety of health officials alongside security logistics provided by the agency.
Also speaking, Dr Victor Adefesoye, the Director of Disease Control and Immunizations in the agency, added that the exercise would include yellow fever vaccination and Vitamins A vaccination.
Adefesoye noted that the media e agent was to ensure that eligible people in the state were vaccinated during the exercise.
He explained that COVID-19 was existing and causing damages but that its victim had been drastically reduced because of vaccination.
The Director asked parents, guardians, religious leaders to support the campaign and allow children to be vaccinated, saying that it was their legitimate right to be vaccinated.
Adefesoye said that the government had legal right under the Public Health Law to arrest and prosecute anybody found restricting children to be vaccinated.
He also warned private school owners to allow health officials to vaccinate children in their schools.
Another top medical practitioner at the Agency, Dr Samuel Abiona noted that the agency had provided platform for eligible children in the state to be vaccinated during the exercise, hence the need for all parents to cooperate with government to ensure the success of the measles campaign.
Abiona who is also the Director, community health services and education at the Agency, enjoined stakeholders especially religious leaders, school administrators and community leaders to mobilize children as well as women in their care for the exercise.
