FROM: PAUL ORUDE, BAUCHI
The Bauchi State Government has targeted 1.7 million children for the
forth-coming measles vaccination campaign exercise in the state billed
to hold from November 30 to December 6, 2017.
This was disclosed by the Executive Chairman of the State Primary
Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA), Pharmacy Adamu Ibrahim
Gamawa, at press briefing held at the Emergency Operation Centre
(EOC), Bauchi, on Wednesday.
Adamu disclosed that the groups to be vaccinated are children between
the ages of nine to 59 months, saying that no fewer than 1,428 teams
would be involved in this year’s team.
The Executive Chairman said that orientation would be conducted for
the teams as, “skilled manpower is required to apply the measles
vaccines drop into the child’s mouth”
He said that fixed vaccination posts would be located at health
facilities in the state where immunisation would be provided
throughout the day, while immunisation would take place for the five
days.
He said that temporal fixed vaccination post (fixed-mobile post would
be located at schools, churches, mosques, traditional leaders’ houses,
bus-stops, busy streets, bus terminals, motor parks,
hard-to-reach-areas, borders, markets and so on.
“Immunisation would be provided at these sites for either the duration
of the campaign or partially for few days or few hours in a day
depending on the target population,” Gamawa said.
He disclosed that the sum of N104 million has been earmarked for this
year’s measles campaign exercise.
Giving the breakdown, Gamawa said that the state would provide N27
million and another N10 million for social mobilization, while the UNICEF would provide N67 million as support for logistics.
On the mandatory activities to the carried out by the state and local
government areas during the measles campaign, he said these include
advocacy, sensitisation and planning meetings with stakeholders the
state, local governments and ward levels.
Other activities during the measles campaign include distribution of
IEC materials, media chats, campaign flag-off, orientation of health
workers, sensitisation meeting with principals and head teachers of
primary schools, LGA secretaries, LGA Women Development Officers among others.
Gamawa said that the 323 wards in the state, the measles campaign
activities will include conducting two community dialogues per ward
with community influencers in all the LGAs in the state, one minimum
of road shows and theatre performances by theatre groups per ward as well as leverage on existing polio structures to mobilise for the campaign.