By Kazeem Biriowo
Copyright tribuneonlineng
National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has called for effective media coverage in the forthcoming Measles Rubella (MR) Integrated Vaccination Campaign in the North and Oyo.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina who was represented by the Director of Advocacy and Communication at the Agency, made the call while addressing participants at a Media Orientation Workshop on the campaign in Abuja.
The Media orientation brought together journalists from different parts of the country to build synergy towards achieving national health goals.
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While speaking further, he explained that the exercise would be carried out in phases, beginning with 21 states, and would feature routine immunization for children from birth to 23 months.
According to him, the campaign would cover administration of the measles-rubella vaccine for children aged nine months to 14 years, the HPV vaccine for girls from nine years, and the polio vaccine for children under five years.
Aina stressed that routine immunization would continue in health facilities nationwide even after the campaign, urging journalists to provide accurate and factual information that will encourage public participation.
In a remark, the Health Manager on Immunization at the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Mr. Shaikh Kabir, called on the Nigerian media to intensify campaigns that will strengthen public awareness on the importance of routine immunization.
He said the media remained a strong partner in mobilizing parents and caregivers to present their children for life-saving vaccines, stressing that effective coverage would reduce child mortality and improve the nation’s health indices.
Kabir therefore urged journalists to use their platforms to dispel myths and misinformation around vaccines, while promoting positive stories of communities that have benefitted from immunization programmes.
In his presentation, A Resident Doctor at the Department of Community Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Frank Obi noted with concerns that measles and rubella remain significant public health threats in Nigeria, hence the urgent need for the introduction of the combined Measles-Rubella vaccine.
Obi explained that measles is one of the leading causes of vaccine-preventable deaths among children under five years, while rubella, though often mild, can lead to severe birth defects when contracted by pregnant women.
According to him, Nigeria records periodic outbreaks of measles with high mortality in unvaccinated populations, while rubella remains under-reported despite its devastating consequences, particularly congenital rubella syndrome.
He urged the media to step up awareness creation to encourage parents and caregivers present their children for vaccination, noting that immunisation remains one of the most cost-effective public health interventions.
