By Ali Rabiu
About 1.8 million pregnant women and Children in Kwara state have been earmarked for the Measles Rubella vaccination scheduled for October this year.
During the vaccination exercise in Ilorin, Professor Nusirat Elelu, the executive secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, stated that the goal of the program was to reduce the illness and death rates caused by measles and Rubella among the target population.
Represented by the director of the Primary Healthcare System in the agency, Dr. Michael Oguntoye, Professor Elelu urged media practitioners to support efforts in combating misconceptions, misinformation, and rumors to ensure an effective health campaign.
In his lecture, Professor Adekunle Salaudeen, a consultant with the International Vaccine Action Centre (IVAC), said that Measles remains one of the leading causes of death among children under-5 five years in Nigeria.
Professor Salaudeen said that Nigeria reported a total of 94,305 confirmed measles cases with 719 deaths between 2019 and 2024, reflecting a case fatality rate (CFR) of approximately 0.76%.
He mentioned that there were 162 deaths out of 13,682 cases in 2022 (1.29%), 57 deaths out of 7,992 cases in 2023 (0.7%), and 53 deaths out of 6,104 cases in 2024.
In his address, UNICEF representative Dr. Usman urged all stakeholders, particularly mass media professionals, to help spread information about the vaccination campaign to grassroots areas to ensure its success.
He explained that the integrated measles and rubella vaccine is administered both orally and through injection, emphasizing that vaccination is not optional but a responsibility that requires support from all stakeholders.
The UNICEF official said that problems of measles and Rubella are prevalent where people are not vaccinated, noting that Rubella disease, which is prevalent among pregnant women, has severe implications for pregnant women with an irreversible health burden.
Edited by Binta Nuan
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