Oyo To Commence Measles Vaccination For Children

The Oyo State Government has partnered with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), to commence measles vaccination for children between nine months and five years of age on October 20.

The Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Muyideen Olatunji disclosed this on Tuesday in Ibadan while addressing newsmen.

Dr Johnson Osoko, the board’s Director of Public Health, who represented Olatunji said the aim of the vaccination exercise is to eliminate measles across the state and the nation as a whole.

He also explained that measles vaccination is injection, unlike that of polio vaccination, which is administered orally.

“We are still recording outbreak of preventable diseases such as measles and this call for mass vaccination campaign, so as to eradicate it.

“The measles vaccination exercise will integrate other vaccines such as Polio, Vitamin ‘A’ supplement, among others.

“This idea of including other health interventions to the vaccination exercise is strategically programmed in line with the state government’s drive to ensure qualitative healthcare delivery to people at the grassroots,” he explained.

He also assured the state residents that the vaccines to be administered are completely safe.

He, therefore, urged parents and guardians to ensure that they bring out their children and wards who are eligible for the vaccination.