The measles-rubella vaccination campaign in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State has recorded remarkable success, with health officials confirming that over 426,813 children were immunised out of a target population of 476,115, representing 90 percent coverage.
Speaking on the outcome of the exercise, at the weekend at the Gwargwaruwa Primary Healthcare Centre, Abba Yandi, the Primary Healthcare Coordinator for Nasarawa Local Goveenment Area, said the 10-day campaign received massive turnout from caregivers, community leaders, and schools, reflecting strong public confidence in immunisation efforts.
“We achieved a lot because caregivers brought their children in large numbers, and traditional and community leaders gave full support.
”We are confident that by the end of the mop-up exercise, coverage will reach 100 percent,” Yandi stated.
He noted that Nasarawa Local Goveenment Area’s diverse and growing population, which mirrors Nigeria’s ethnic mix, made the campaign both challenging and significant, noting that despite the successes, some private schools initially resisted participation, prompting the formation of a non-compliance resolution team to ensure cooperation.
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According to Ali Musa, the Local Immunisation Officer, the campaign also covered other antigens including Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).
He explained that “we vaccinated 234,501 under-five children with OPV using 254,800 doses. The campaign deployed 195 teams across 11 wards, using a house-to-house ‘sweeping strategy’ to reach missed children.”
Musa added that reports of post-vaccination reactions were minimal, limited to mild fever and irritability, with no severe cases recorded.
Karimatun Ibrahim, the officer in -charge of routine immunisation in the local government, said the campaign also helped to track and vaccinate zero-dose and defaulting children, strengthening routine immunisation services.
“We used the opportunity to reach over 1,652 children who had missed previous vaccines,” she disclosed.
