C/River targets 700,000 children for measles vaccination

The Cross River Government is targetting more than 700,000 children in a forthcoming integrated measles vaccination campaign, Dr Janet Ekpenyong, Director-General of the state’s Primary Healthcare Development
Agency, said.

The director-general said this on Tuesday in Calabar at a one-day media orientation meeting on integrated measles vaccination campaign.

She said that the campaign was partly necessitated by the outbreak of the virus in some parts of Cross River.

She added that 35 cases of measles were recorded in a refugee camp in Ogoja Local Government Area of the state, attributing
it to influx of Cameroonian refugees into the camp.

Ekpenyong, while giving an overview of the situation, said that the vaccination campaign would begin from Oct. 20 to Oct. 27.

She thanked the media for the continued support to the state health sector, which according to her, enabled Cross River to record significant achievements.

She expressed confidence in the capacity of the media to disseminate information regarding the upcoming integrated measles vaccination campaign to every nook and cranny
of the state.

She said that the information would therefore prepare the minds of parents and guardians toward embracing the exercise for optimum success.

Ekpenyong further said that the measles vaccine would be administered alongside that of COVID-19, polio and other routine vaccines, thereby
making the vaccination campaign a comprehensive one.

She added that “strategies have already been mapped out to ensure that the campaign records maximum success.

“We appeal to residents of the state to make their children and wards available for the vaccination.”

Dr Ibrahim Audu, the Coordinator, World Health Organisation (WHO), Cross River, commended Ekpenyong for providing result-oriented leadership in the primary healthcare sector.

Audu said that Ekpenyong’s pragmatic leadership saw Cross River emerged as the best immunisation performing state in South-South in 2022.

He said that the achievement would not had been possible without the media playing complementary role by disseminating information and news on the activities of the health sector.

While charging the media to drive the vaccination campaign, Audu declared that WHO would continue to support the state government toward improving access to quality healthcare.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that measles is a viral infection that’s serious for small children but easily preventable by vaccine.

The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.

Measles symptoms don’t appear until 10 to 14 days after exposure. They include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash.

There’s no treatment to get rid of an established measles infection, but over-the-counter fever reducers or vitamin A may help with symptoms. (NAN)