Govt to immunise 1.3m children against measles

The Jigawa Government on Saturday said it targeted 1,298,198 children for immunisation against measles across the state.

The State Immunsation Officer, Alhaji Hassan Kwalam disclosed this at the launch of the 2015 measles campaign at Kyarama Village in Ringim Local Government Area of the state.

Kwalam explained that the total of 1,440 designated vaccination centres would be used for the five-day exercise.

According to him, the team of vaccinators in each centre will move from one village to another, to ensure that all children in the state are immunised.

He urged parents and caregivers in the state to make best use of the exercise and ensure that their children and wards were vaccinated.

The Immunisation Officer said that after the five-day exercise, the vaccines would be made available in hospitals across the state for the continuous immunisation of children.

He said that adequate vaccines were provided to meet the targeted number of children across the state.

Kwalam thanked the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), National Primary Health Care Development Agency and other international donors for their support to the exercise.

In his remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abba Zakari, enjoined parents to ensure their children within the age limit were vaccinated.

Zakari said that measles was one of the killer-diseases, especially for children under the age of five, and government would do everything possible to prevent it.