‎Ekiti launches statewide measles-rubella vaccination campaign

Ekiti State has commenced a 10-day, statewide Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign aimed at protecting children and closing immunity gaps against the highly contagious diseases.
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‎Mrs Omolabake Ogundola, the State Immunisation Officer, announced the rollout on Friday during a media orientation and sensitisation meeting organised by the Ekiti State Primary Health Care Development Agency in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), ahead of the campaign’s launch.
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‎The campaign targets children aged nine months to 14 years and precedes the introduction of the MR vaccine into the state’s routine immunisation schedule in the third week of January. After the campaign, the vaccine will replace the current standalone measles shot, with doses scheduled at nine and 15 months.
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‎According to Ogundola, the exercise aims to reach about 17 per cent of Ekiti’s population, with a 90 – 95 per cent coverage considered a successful outcome. Both administrative coverage figures and post-campaign surveys will be used to assess effectiveness.
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‎To maximise access, all health facilities offering routine immunisation will remain open throughout the campaign, while mobile teams will operate temporary vaccination posts in communities. Outreach efforts will also target rural areas, factory settlements, farm camps and other hard-to-reach locations, with support from security agencies where needed.
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‎Dr Ebube Eronini, the State Technical Assistant of the World Health Organisation (WHO), described the campaign as a “critical intervention” to close immunity gaps against measles and rubella, explaining that measles can lead to severe complications such as malnutrition, blindness and encephalitis, especially in young children. She also noted that rubella can cause congenital rubella syndrome in infants when pregnant women are infected.
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‎Mrs Folakemi Aladenika, State Technical Assistant for the International Vaccine Access Centre, urged parents and caregivers to take advantage of the campaign window, warning that children above the eligible age may not have access to the vaccine once it becomes part of routine immunisation.
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‎Stakeholders including traditional rulers, religious leaders, school authorities, parent-teacher associations and educationists have endorsed the vaccination exercise, the State Health Educator, Dr Olajumoke Oguntoye, said.