FG targets 33m children for measles immunization as FG releases 3.5 billion

Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib has disclosed that Federal Government has released N3.5 billion naira for the 2017/2018 National Measles Vaccination Campaign targeted at 33 Millon eligible children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years across the country.

Shuaib disclosed this yesterday at a one -. Day Media Orientation Forum for the 2017/2018 Measles Vaccination Campaign in the country.

He said, ” we should reach 95 percent because this is our desire and this will require everybody working together, the media, traditional, religious and Community leaders, adding ” this is the opportunity for us to reach the very last mile to reach every child.”

It is critical to mobilise mothers to take their children to the immunization posts, because we want to have a campaign that will march the expectations of the Federal Governmnet, NPHCDA, Shuaib emphasised.

Chairman of the National Measles Technical Committee, Dr. Joseph Oteri in a presentation noted that that non- compliant cases will be sanctioned using the Child Right Acts Bill which most states have dommesticated.

Now we need house to house mobilization and we have increased the number of immunization days to 6 , this is to have a mop – up on missed children, Oteri said.

“Other things put in place for the measles immunization campaign, he said includes accountability framework with rewards and sanctions with real time monitoring to trigger responses when necessary.”

While acknowledging states that have released thier counterpart funding , the ED urged states that are yet to do so to release their funds.

The campaign will be held in four phases in all the North West States from 26th to 32st October 2017. North East States from 30stNovember to 5th December 2017. All North Central States 1st to 6sFebruray , 2018 and all 17 Southern States from 8st to 13th March, 2018, the agency said.