Gombe Vaccinates 785 Children Against Measles

Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency (GSPHCDA), said it has vaccinated no fewer than 785 children against measles in the last five days, in the state.

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Gana, who disclosed this while speaking with Journalists in Gombe yesterday, described the latest measles campaign as the best ever, because the target, in terms of number of children, was exceeded for the first time.

According to him, the state had estimated 771, 687 children for the exercise, but over 785,000 children were eventually immunised.

The coordinator of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the state, Dr. Dauda Madudu told Journalists that only very few people now view immunisation campaigns with suspicion, as fewer parents resisted immunisation for their children.

He said that parents with doubts were now asking for more explanations on the importance of the immunisation campaigns.

“It is expected that when you are targeting about 800,000 children in the state, some will say I have this problem and you have to explain to them the importance of the vaccination and to tell them that the vaccination is safe. We also have our traditional and religious leaders, who are explaining to them. And like in Gombe State, we have the Ward Development Committees, we’ve seen the Chairmen, the PROs, the Secretary, coming out to mobilise and to sensitise the parents on the importance of the immunization.”

Dr. Madudu said with explanations by relevant authorities, the few that resisted it innitially gradually accepted the immunisation to reduce resistance to about 20 to 30 cases in few local government areas.

Dr. Madudu, said that the essence of the measles campaign was to improve the level of immunity in the society, and to reduce the effect of any outbreak.

According to him, the disease is about to be eliminated, going by the success recorded in the total eradication of polio from Nigeria.

He said a follow-up campaign was needed to reach all build up cases missed or those that were not eligible in 2015, that is those children that were less than 9 months old, or those that routine immunisation could not capture.