Health
The Enugu State Government has targeted about 1 million children under the ages of 0 and five years during the National November Immunization Plus Days.
Dr George Ugwu, Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), made this known at a news conference on Friday in Enugu.
Ugwu said that the immunization, which is for five days, would be held between Nov. 28 and Dec. 2.
He said that the ENS-PHCDA in collaboration with National Primary Health Care Development Agency, UNICEF and other partners had trained 495 health personnel comprising four persons per team, for the conduct of the exercise.
“Why this immunsation plus day is special is because we are adding second dose of measles vaccines for children between 15 and 25 months as well as meningitis vaccines for all children between one year and five years.
“We are going to be using 600 health immunization health facilities centres, owned majorly by government, some by missions and few by individuals, as a base to penetrate all nooks and crannies of the state apart from known public places.
“The mission and individual health facilities are those we known that have efficient and functional cool chain facilities to keep these vaccines at normal temperature.
“We are also setting up special outreach centres in hard to reach areas with difficult terrain or remoteness; so that we can catch them and ensure no child is left out in the statewide exercise,’’ he said.
Ugwu noted that the state agency had before now embarked on massive sensitization on the immunization programme and had mobilized all hands on deck to ensure huge success.
“We are targeting 100 per cent coverage to surpass the 97 coverage we had in the last statewide immunisation we did earlier in the year.
“We have continued to use local language in radios and televisions jingles to herald the exercise.
“The agency has met with traditional rulers, President-Generals of various communities as well as religious and political leaders at various churches and political wards for them to mobilise mothers/ caregivers ahead of time.
“We are also using native town criers in some vast and hard to reach communities to herald the message of the exercise,’’ he said. (NAN)
– Nov. 23, 2019 @ 9:05 GMT |
Tags: Enugu State targets 1m children in immunisation plus days
