#Measles : 515,531 children for immunisation in Ekiti communities

The Ekiti State Primary Health Development Agency has announced that no fewer than 515,531 children would be immunised across the various communities in the state beginning from Thursday, January 28.

The Director of Primary Health Care of the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Joshua Ileke, disclosed this at a sensitisation forum on the coming Integrated Measles Campaign targeted at children in the state...


According to Dr Ileke, no fewer than 515,531 children between ages nine and 59 months, were expected to be immunised in the exercise.

Specifically, he disclosed that the five-day immunisation programme would take place in over 300 government immunisation centres scheduled to hold between January 28 and February 1.

Ileke further disclosed that the programme will take place in government-owned health facilities as well as selected sites such as churches, mosques, markets and schools.

While appealing for journalists’ cooperation in sensitising the public, Ileke lamented that Nigeria was among the countries that still had high number of measles cases in the world and ranked second in Africa.

He recalled that measles outbreak was lower in 2014 due to aggressive campaign against the disease in 2013, adding that in 2015, however, such campaign did not take place resulting in the latest development.

While appealing to mothers to allow their children to be immunised, Ileke blamed some women for their ‘I don’t care attitude’ towards the vaccine.

A UNICEF expert billed for the exercise, Dr Iyabobola Ajibola, said in a statement that UNICEF was providing funding for the exercise while it is also giving active support to the Ekiti State government and other donor agencies.

It added that over 2,832 health workers distributed into 800 teams have been mobilised for the exercise scheduled to hold daily between 8.00am and 4.00pm.

The statement said the agency “solicits the cooperation of nursing mothers , market women, community leaders and head of affected schools as well as well religious leaders for the success of the immunisation exercise.”