The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board says over 700,000 children will be immunised against measles in the immunisation exercise scheduled to hold in February.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the board, Dr Mathew Ashikeni, disclosed this at the sensitisation meeting for measles vaccination campaign in Abuja on Thursday.
According to Ashikeni, the forthcoming immunisation is targeting 100 per cent coverage to ensure every child from nine months to five years in the territory is vaccinated.
He disclosed that the FCT Minister, Alhaji Musa Bello, had already approved funds to be released for the programme.
“1,370 vaccinators will be engaged to carry out the exercise across the six area councils” in the FCT, he said.
He added that out of this figure, 1,215 regular teams would be deployed to normal vaccination centres, while 155 special teams would posted to places like markets, streets and other public places.
The acting executive secretary said that 3,008 vaccination sites had been designated for the exercise, adding that there will be fixed centres in PHC facilities and other new ones will be created.
Ashikeni stated that only competent and licensed nurses would be engaged to carry out the vaccination.
“We are targeting 100 per cent coverage and will do everything possible to make sure no child in the territory is left out.
“We have mobilised all our stakeholders and put necessary things in place to adhere strictly to standards that will ensure a successful immunisation exercise,” he said.
He noted that the FCT administration was committed to prevent the outbreak of measles in the territory because “a lot of the cases of blindness you see among our children is the consequence of complications from measles and it is also life threatening.
“Measles cause brain infection, life threatening diarrhoea, vomiting and malnutrition, and many affected children die if it is not properly managed,” he added.
Ashikeni appealed to parents and guardians to bring their children out to be immunised in the exercise that would commence from Feb. 8 to 20.
He said that the exercise would be conducted in phases, Abuja Municipal Area Council and Bwari would hold theirs from Feb. 8 to 13, while the remaining four area councils would start on Feb. 15 through Feb. 20.
