The Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA) has urged the media to raise public awareness for its forthcoming Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign for children.
The exercise is scheduled to hold from 4 to 13 October.
The Executive Director of KSPHCDA, Dr Musa Mu’azu, made the call at a one-day media orientation forum in Lokoja, organised by the agency in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners.
Mu’azu, who was represented by the agency’s Deputy Director of 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 sensitise the public and ensure timely and accurate dissemination of information.
According to him, the vaccination campaign, targeting children between nine months and 14 years, would be carried out across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
Also speaking, 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 disease has no cure and can only be prevented through vaccination, noting that the vaccine is 95 per cent effective and recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mr Shittu Momoh, the State Vaccine Mobilisation Officer, also highlighted the media’s critical role in promoting routine immunisation. He urged journalists to take the campaign seriously and work towards achieving at least 95 per cent coverage of the MR vaccination.
“The meeting aimed to brief the media on the forthcoming MR vaccine introduction and collaborate with them on awareness creation and sensitisation of the public,” he said.
The event was attended by representatives of WHO, AFENET, IVAC, Chigari Foundation, and other partners, who all stressed the importance of media collaboration to ensure a successful MR vaccination campaign in Kogi State.
They also reiterated their commitment to strengthening health services in the state through advocacy visits and community sensitisation.
The Federal Government has equally pledged its support for the campaign, which targets children between nine months and 15 years of age to prevent severe complications such as blindness, deafness, brain damage, and death.
