The Taraba State government has renewed its pledge to protect children from measles and rubella, launching a vaccination drive and urging communities, health workers, and partners to work together to ensure all children are immunized. Speaking at the campaign flag-off in Jalingo, the First Lady, Mrs. Agyin Agbu Kefas, represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bodiya Buma, stressed the necessity of a united effort to eradicate the diseases. She called on parents and caregivers to take their children to immunization centers, assuring them that the vaccines are safe, effective, and vital for child health.
Dr. Nuhu Tukura, Executive Secretary of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, labeled measles and rubella as serious threats that can be prevented through timely and widespread vaccination. He noted that this ten-day campaign aims to significantly boost immunization coverage, with an estimated 1.6 million children between 9 months and 14 years old targeted to receive the vaccine. Additionally, children aged 0 to 59 months will receive polio vaccines, and 9-year-old girls will be given the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. Stakeholders, including traditional rulers, pledged their support for the campaign, which health officials believe will substantially reduce vaccine-preventable diseases and move the state closer to achieving universal immunization.
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