The United Nations Children’s Fund has disclosed that no fewer than 3.8 million children would be vaccinated against measles across four Northern states.
The UNICEF Health Officer in Bauchi state, Patrick Ako, disclosed this in a news conference on Friday, noting that the vaccination exercise would commence on Saturday and run for seven days.
He highlighted that the four Northern states where the integrated measles campaign would take place include Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, and Plateau.
“For the measles campaign, we have a target of 3.8 million children from nine months to 59 months, which we are targeting across the four states.
“We have received in all the states a total of over 4 million doses of measles vaccines which have been supplied across the four states,” Ako stated.
The Health Officer explained that UNICEF is also going to launch an oral vaccination campaign against polio across five Northern states.
He said, “For the oral polio vaccination, we have a target of 6.8 million children that we are going to reach from zero to 59 months, which is less than five years across five states of Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe,e, and Adamawa.
“The total number of vaccines that have already gotten to them is 7.4 million doses across these five states.
“We are looking at it that no child should be left behind; all children of an eligible age group should be reached and be vaccinated.”
Also speaking, a Social Behavioural Change Specialist at UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, George Eki, said it became imperative for UNICEF to support the Nigerian government in protecting children against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.