The Enugu State Government says over 1.5 million children have received vaccination against measles and rubella within one week of the ongoing statewide immunisation campaign.
The Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Ocheku, disclosed this on Wednesday during the flag-off of the integrated Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu.
Ani-Ocheku said the number represents about 68 per cent of the target population of 2.2 million children in the state. She described the achievement as unprecedented and a clear demonstration of the state’s commitment to eliminating the diseases.
She called the exercise a “historic and deliberate” move to safeguard the future of Enugu children.
“We are gathered here today not just for a ceremony but for a declaration. We declare that the life of a child in Nsukka is as valuable as the life of a child in New York.
“In Enugu, the health of our children is non-negotiable. We declare zero measles and zero rubella in Enugu State,” she said.
According to her, health workers carried out aggressive community mobilisation, moving from house to house, and visiting schools, churches and mosques to ensure no child was left behind.
She added that no serious adverse effects had been recorded since the campaign began.
Ani-Ocheku explained that measles has an incubation period of 10 to 14 days and can cause blindness, deafness, brain swelling and death. Rubella, which incubates for 14 to 21 days, poses serious risks, including congenital disabilities in unborn children.
“Science has gifted us a vaccine, one shot, double protection. The vaccine is safe and effective, and this success belongs to our communities,” she said.
She commended Governor Peter Mbah for reforms in the health sector, including the transformation of primary healthcare departments into functional Local Government Health Authorities and the timely release of counterpart funding.
Earlier, Governor Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, described the vaccination campaign as a “sacred obligation” of government.
“Our future is not in the roads we build or the industries we attract. Our future is sitting in classrooms, playing in courtyards and lying in cradles across Enugu State. Our future is our children,” he said.
The governor stressed that health remains central to his administration’s economic strategy, noting that a sick child cannot learn or grow into an innovator, engineer or leader.
He highlighted key reforms undertaken by the government, including granting autonomy to local government health authorities, sanitising primary healthcare payroll systems, revitalising health training institutions and ensuring access to Basic Health Care Provision Funds.
Mbah urged parents and caregivers to use the remaining days of the campaign to close the immunity gap by ensuring children aged between nine months and 14 years receive the vaccines.
“In vaccination, 68 per cent is commendable, but it is not enough. The virus looks for the gaps. Let us find the remaining children. Our goal is simple: zero measles, zero rubella, full protection,” he said.
In goodwill messages, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, and the Chairman of Oji River Local Government Area, Mr Greg Anyaegbudike, also urged parents to present eligible children for vaccination before the February 15 deadline.
Ugwu assured residents that the vaccines are safe and effective, stressing their importance in protecting the health and future of Enugu children.
The two-week exercise, which began on February 3, will end on February 15.
