Lagos targets five million children for measles vaccination

The Lagos State Government said no fewer than five million children would be vaccinated as the state started 2022 Integrated Measles vaccination campaign for children aged nine to 59 months on Wednesday.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, at a press conference on the commencement of the measles vaccination, added that the exercise would hold between Friday, June 17, and Friday June 24, and from Monday  June 27 to Monday, July 4, 2022 in all 57 local government and local council development areas of the state.

He said, “The Lagos State Government in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, World Health Organization, United Nations Children Fund and other development partners will be conducting an Integrated Measles Campaign across all 57 LGAs and LCDAs in the State in line with the National Measles Elimination Strategic Plan 2018-2028.

“The measles vaccine will be provided to children aged nine to 59 months with Vitamin A supplements for children aged six to 59 months. Routine immunization services will be available from birth up to 23 months, while COVID vaccination will also be available for adults who are 18 years and above as part of our integrated vaccination campaign approach.”

Abayomi explained that the campaign will be conducted for eight days each in two streams, consisting of 10 LGAs and related LCDA per streams in order to ensure that all the eligible population were reached during the campaign.

While appealing to parents and givers to ensure that all the target population of children in Lagos receive the measles vaccine and other routine immunisation services during the campaign, the commissioner noted that the responsibility to vaccinate all eligible children against measles was not that that of the parents and caregivers alone but on everybody including religious, community and political leaders.

“I want to assure the good people of Lagos State that Immunization is safe and, and I call on all Lagosians to take advantage of this mass campaign that will be commencing on June 17, 2022,”,he said.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Ibrahim Mustafa, explained that a total of 1,800 vaccination teams would be available per stream across the LGAs and LCDAs to implement the measles vaccination campaign and other routine immunisation services.