The Ekiti State Government through the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (EKPHCDA) in conjunction with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and other partners have called on education stakeholders across the state to support the agency in preparation for the forthcoming vaccination exercise against measles through proper sensitization of their various wards towards the exercise.
The integrated measles programme which will commence as from 5th to 11th October, according to the organisers of the programme, is to immunize the children between the age of 9 – to 59 months in the state against the outbreak of the disease which experts say is imminent soon.
Speaking at the event which was held at Nurses house, old iyin road, Ado Ekiti, the Director General of Ekiti State Primary Health Development Agency, Dr. Ayodele Seluwa stated that this stakeholders forum became important because the agency have tested their performances over time in their previous engagements and the results were overwhelming and brought about great success.
While dispelling the rumours that this vaccines are not good for us and our children as an imagination of some few people who have phobics for injection, the Director General said that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the targeted children are captured for the proposed immunization exercise. “People love to propagate bad rumours which spreads like wild fire, but the good news we are bringing to our children will hardly be mentioned by these detractors,” he said.
Dr Seluwa stressed further that the objective of the exercise is to improve the immune system of children, noting that such would check outbreak of preventive diseases in the state.
He further emphasized the importance of vaccination as an antidote for spread of epidemic in the society, adding that immunization campaigns must be taken across all town and villages in order to enlighten the concerned members of public on the need to take timely precautions against widespread of diseases.
He said, “as we are embarking on this exercise, there maybe negative messages from some detractors, you are the people we have that will help us to appeal to our parents about the good intentions of this programme. Our motive is to hand over the programme to you the stakeholders to mitigate against rejection from your various wards or associations.”
The Director General who appreciated the various categories of stakeholders for supporting the agency to achieve success during the recently conducted HPV vaccination, urged for greater collaboration this time for better delivery, noting that nothing is worth substituted for good health.
He therefore advised community and religious leaders, parents and guardians, basic education institutions, market women, Parent Teacher Association etc to take advantage of the vaccination which he said is safe, free and effective to mitigate against preventive diseases that could threaten the future of our children if decisive actions are not taken on time.
Speaking earlier, the state coordinator, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mr. Robert Fagun said the immunization campaign is all about the future, growth and well being of our children, describing any investment in health as an investment in humanity and economic development.
According to him “an unhealthy child cannot attend school, so the campaign is key to education development” and therefore hinged the future and progress recorded over the children on their well being, particularly at the tender years.
Mr. Fagun added that the success of the exercise depends on the proactive steps taken by the stakeholders who are carriers and grassroot mobilizers for effective dissemination of the immunization campaign messages to grassroot populace to ensure that the affected children are released for vaccination during the period.
He also ensure the safety of our children as he said the vaccine is safe, free and effective and also, those that will vaccinate or Carry out the process are well trained and equipped.
Also, another contributor at the forum, Mrs Yetunde Akinyosoye, the Ekiti State Social Behavioural Change (SBC) officer, who represented UNICEF at the occasion noted as well that recent research indicated that very soon we will be in the season of the outbreak because some states have been experiencing it, therefore, the essence of the vaccination exercise is to protect the children within the age of 9 to 59 months against the attack of measles which is common among children and could disrupt their growth if the vaccine is not applied at the appropriate formation age.
Akinyosoye stressed further that some parents do pay huge amount of money for their children to get vaccinated in some public and private hospitals across the country, she therefore enjoined our parents to take advantage of this good gesture from our government by allowing their children to be vaccinated for free to prevent future attack from the disease.
She said that creating an awareness is so relevant to the success of the exercise as it happened during the HPV vaccination, adding that UNICEF was expecting greater results which could only be possible through adequate dissemination of information in order to secure the consent of schools, proprietors, parents and guardians as well as religious organizations for releasing the targeted children for the exercise.
Mrs Akinyosoye said that designated health officers would be moving from one community to another to achieve a wide coverage of all towns, villages and farmsteads in the state, adding that there was no reason to panic as the vaccine is safe free and effective.
Another prominent speaker at the forum, organizer, State health Educator, mrs Oguntoye Olajumoke stressed the responsibility and why they are very key stakeholders in the exercise for Ekiti State to reach all the eligible children in the schools. She charged the Education Stakeholders to create the awareness in their LGAs to all the schools both public and private schools.
Oguntoye said further that the vaccine will be available in all the Primary Health Care facilities in Ekiti, churches, mosque and other designated areas in all the LGAs integrated Measles Campaign 9month to 59month and other vaccine preventable diseases 0 to 23 month and Human papilloma virus vaccine against cervical cancer 9 years to 14 years, stating, the vaccine is safe, free and effective.
Participants at the event include, official from Ministry of Education, Education Secretaries from all the local governments, officers representing NUT, SUBEB, MEDIAS, NAPPS, APSCON, AMPSE, and PTA Chairman. Others include, State Immunization Officer, Director, Disease Control and Immunization, officers from State Social Mobilization Committee, representatives from association of private school owners in the state, religious leaders, market leaders, state teams from various related agencies and host of others.
