Oyo state government through the State Primary Health Care Board (OYSPHCB), on Saturday flagged-off National Immunization plus Days (NIPDs) campaign in the State to get rid of Poliomyelitis and paralysis.
The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, while speaking on the vaccination exercise at the Oranyan Primary Health Care Centre,( PHC), Ibadan, said that vaccine will make children hale and healthy.
Speaking through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Olusoji Adeyanju , the Commissioner explained that the NIPDs is a supplemental Immunization Campaign geared to ensure herd immunity among the under-five years children.
Dr . Ajetunmobi, noted that
children under age five are to get the vaccine and immunized against all other preventable diseases.
She stressed that the state government would not relent on its efforts to improve health care delivery in the state, noting that the immunization exercise remains a priority to have healthy society.
According to her, the best way to keep yourself healthy is to prevent vaccines effectable diseases, even though we don’t have it here. We must ensure that our young children who are below five years old, who may be subsistence to it, are prevented by giving polio virus, that was the reason we are here today.
The vaccination helps the mother during pregnancy to the baby .
Also, prevent families from spending unnecessary money on their babies.
“It makes the future of the children safe and secure. This vaccination is actually safe and effective.
“When we are talking about health, promotive, preventive and curative. This is actually promotive and preventive”
“This vaccine is not meant to replace the routine vaccination,mothers should keep to the normal timing for each of the vaccinations for their babies.
“It is also to educate our people that the essence of this vaccine, is not to prevent them from being fertile in the future or to give them any form of
deformities.
“We are here to tell our people that this immunization has nothing to do with infertility and disability.”
She appealed to parents to be accomodating and cooperate with the vaccination team upon their arrival for the exercise at various communities.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr.Muideen Olatunji, explained that concerted efforts have been made by the board to expand its coverage during the exercise.
He noted that methodology adopted for the exercise is house to house campaign so that no child under the target group is left out.
“We don’t want to wait until there is polio outbreak. We have mapped out different strategies for this campaign, it is going to laps for about five to six days .
“Our focus is congregations, places like mosques, churches, markets and schools. Also, special spaces like infront of the house of community leaders, even on weekends, we will take it to functions or parties to ensure that no child under the focus group is uncaptured ”
He assured that the field officers assigned to administer the vaccine will touch every nook and cranny of the state,so that children under zero to five years are captured in order to have healthy population among the teeming infants and the younger ones in the State.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Ibadan South East Local Government, Hon. Emmanuel Oluwole Alawode , represented by Alhaja Musurat Alaga, admonished parents to be responsive and ensure their children are immunized as and when due .
He advised them to be observant about their wards, particularly the
mothers.
