Meningitis Campaign: Taraba set to vaccinate 639, 713 children in November

The Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency says it has targeted over 600, 000 children for measles and menengitis vaccination.

The Executive Director of the agency, Aminu Jauro Hassan made this known on Friday at the Advocacy meeting organized by the agency for journalists I the state.

The meeting which held at Millennium Event Center Jalingo, aimed at to orient the media and seek for their support on the upcoming 2019 integrated meningitis and measles vaccination campaign scheduled for 16th-23rd, November, 2019 across the sixteen LGAs of the state.

The Executive Director, Aminu Jauro Hassan said measles is still a problem and thousands of children die annually from the disease, pointed out that to be protected against the disease, it is important that children who are 9 months to five years (9m-5yrs) of age receive the immunization during the campaign.

Represented by the Director of Community Health, Zakari Chindo, Hassan added that the campaign will also captured children from one to five years of age (1-5years) for meningitis vaccination.

He therefore urged journalists in the state to assist the agency to achieve the set goals by reaching out to the public on the need to fight against these ugly killer diseases.

In a paper titled “Advocacy Journalism”, Health Educator, Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mrs. Mercy Maigoge said the role of Journalists in the society cannot be overemphasized, urging them to assist the agency in creating awareness on the campaign and for people to avail themselves to access the vaccines.

She expressed optimism that with the Media, the set objective will be achieved, while she appealed to the givers to avail themselves with their children to receive the vaccines at the nearest health facilities in their Communities, so as to protect their children from the deadly disease.

Mrs. Mercy Maigoge also appealed to the media to enlighten parents on the need to note that the exercise is different from that of polio where health passonels used to visit house to house, therefore they should encourage their spouses to present the children at the designated health facilities nearest to them.

On his part, UNICEF state Team Lead C4D Consultant for meningitis and measles campaign, Mr. Anger Robert said Measles is a dangerous disease caused by infection with Rubeola Virus.

He said the disease spreads from one infected person to another and it affects mostly children and can lead to their death.

“Children under 5 years and those who are not vaccinated against Measles are at the risk of contracting the disease,’ Robert said.”

He explained that some of the measles signs includes high fever, redness of eyes, Cough, runny nose and rash.

According to him, measles reduces child’s ability to fight other diseases, resulting to illness, while it can also cause blindness and death, stressing the need for parents, traditional rulars, religious leaders and other stakeholders to support the campaign to avoid the outbreak of the diseases.

Mr. Anger Robert however, encouraged people, especially parents to know that although immunization prevents 2-3 million children death annually according to (WHO 2019) and is one of the cost effective ways of preventing the disease, yet about 3 million children under five still die annually from diseases such as measles, Yellow fever and meningitis.

Some participants who spoke to our Correspondent Mr. Fanen Ihyongo and the Chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, Taraba State Chapter, Mrs. Hilda Adebayo described the Taraba State Social Mobilisation and Media Meeting as timely and promised to disiminate the message appropriately for the benefit of the targeted Communities.

They also called on the Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency to provides necessary logistics for those that will carry out the exercise to ensure that they reach to the hard to reach communities, especially areas like Sardauna, Kurmi and Karim Damido among others.