Lagos State Government has unveiled
activities in place towards the non-polio Supplemental Immunization exercise
The Supervising Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Abimbola Bowale, disclosed this to the Press while speaking to journalists at a Media Orientation on Non-Polio Supplemental Immunization.
The exercise he said will start on the 18th of October 2024 with a sensitization exercise while the event proper will commence on the 19th of October 2024.
Commenting on the figures, he said It is expected that nothing less than 18 million residents would be vaccinated for preventable diseases.
He further explained that 85 per cent of people from nine months to 44 years will be given Yellow fever Booster doses while other vaccines will be administered too.
He added that children within the ages of nine months to 18 months would receive measles vaccine while HPV vaccines against cervical cancer would be administered to children from nine years to 14 years stressing that other routine vaccines too would be given.
Dr. Akinpelu Adetola the Immunization Primary Coordinator for Lagos State Primary Healthcare said it has become imperative to embark on this State wide immunization drive due to incessant outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, yellow fever, diphtheria and recently Cholera
Dr. Adetola added that strategies were underway to ensure a smooth exercise and that planning in this instance started from bottom to top
Rounding off the event was Mrs Aderonke Akinola,the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Social & Media Specialist in her speech using an adage said ‘A tree does not make a Forest ‘ urging both the media and all other teams involved to work together to make the immunization process a great Success.
Mrs Aanu Thomas appealing to the press urged then to ensure they spread the news.
The event was well attended by the conventional and the new Media and also had in attendance the Permanent Secretary Lagos State information and Strategy Mr.Olumide Sogunle.