The Adamawa State government has introduced the second dose of measles vaccine into routine immunisation and plans to vaccinate more than 280,000 children under five years.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri made this known on Tuesday at the launch of the vaccination at Luggere Primary Healthcare Centre in Yola. Gov. Fintiri said that the introduction of the second dose vaccine was part of renewed efforts to reduce morbidity and mortality rate from the disease.
Measles is a highly contagious illness caused by a virus that replicates in the nose and throat of an infected child or adult. When someone with measles coughs, sneezes or talks, infected droplets spray into the air, where other people can inhale them.
The viral infection is serious for small children, but is easily preventable by vaccine.
According to the governor, Nigeria is among countries with high record of under five deaths, mostly attributed to vaccine-preventable diseases.
He added that “in this regard, I give clear directive to the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the entire health sector in the state to adopt effective and efficient strategy to get all eligible children vaccinated against measles and other vaccine preventable diseases.
“I urge parents and caregivers to key into the public health strategy to improve children survival and human capital development.”
Executive Chairman, Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Sulaiman Bashir, said that the exercise was designed to prevent and eliminate measles disease from early stage.
Bashir added that the vaccination was a revision to the existing strategy to improve the immunity of eligible children who were above 15 months.
He said that “we realised that many children contract the disease much earlier and that is the reason we introduced the two-dose schedule to improve their immunity.”
