REPORTER: PEACE AGBO
Abia State government says it will sustain its efforts in creating an enabling environment for the protection of children through timely vaccination against preventable diseases.
The wife of the state Governor Mrs. Priscilla Otti stated this at the inauguration ceremony of Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign at Nkwoegwu Primary Health Center, Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state.
Mrs. Otti who described the campaign as a collective responsibility and a critical investment in the future of the state urged healthcare workers to execute the assignments with professionalism, compassion, and diligence.
She advised expectant mothers not to expose their unborn babies to measles-rubella as the fetus stands the risk of the disease if exposed to it during pregnancy.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya described measles as one of the highly contagious viral diseases to children under five that can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain damage noting that Rubella when contracted by a pregnant woman can result to miscarriage, stillbirth or lifelong disabilities in newborn amongst others.
Contributing, the Executive Secretary,ABIA state Primary Healthcare Development Agency Dr Kalu Ulu-Kalu noted that the measles -Rubella campaign was a shared sense of responsibility and urged parents and care givers across the state to take full advantage of the opportunity to ensure that their children were vaccinated to eliminate measles and rubella to build a healthier and more prosperous state.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Lead Project International Centre, IVAC, the Abia state Representative World Health Organisation Dr Jubril Technical Officer World Health Organisation in Abia state Dr Ikechukwu Chidolue and the Health Consultant, UNICEF Dr Hyacinth Egbuna all described the vaccine as a lifesaving one and pledged to partner with Abia state government to ensure that the vaccine gets to the nooks and cranky of the state within the 10 days of immunization to children between the ages of nine months to 14 years.
