Immunization: Anambra Records Low Turnout Over Monkey Pox Rumor
Loading ...By Nedum Noble
Anambra State government has expressed worry over the non-compliance and rejection witnessed in the last measles campaign in some schools across the local government areas of the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike who stated this in Awka, while briefing newsmen on the First Round of National Immunization Plus Days, attributed the low turnout to last year’s rumuor of school pupils being injected with monkey pox by Nigerian Army officials.
Akabuike, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Chioma Ezenyimulu, noted that the exercise was a strategic plan to administer potent oral polio vaccine, together with other routine immunization antigens.
He said the overall goal of the National Immunization Plus Days was to interrupt and ensure eradication of wild polio virus in the state, adding that the programme was meant for children between 0-59 months.
Akabuike emphasized that vaccination team would be moving from house to house, churches, schools, mosques, markets, motor-parks and village squares to administer oral polio vaccine.
He disclosed that, over 1 million children between would be targeted while over 200,000 children less that one year would be covered during the exercise which would kick-off on Saturday and end on Tuesday next week.
The commissioner called on mothers and caregivers to avail themselves of the opportunity and ensure that their children were immunized while stressing that the vaccines were free and safe.
