Dreams of eliminating Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) among women of childbearing age in Taraba state, has no doubt began to yield results.
This was demonstrated, when The State Primary Health Care Development Agency (TSPHCDA) in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), engaged media practitioners in the second round of the elimination campaign which was concluded yesterday.
The first round of the exercise, with traditional and religious leaders, as well as other critical stakeholders was successful and took place early last month.
The exercise, which took place in four out of the sixteen local government councils of the state, focused on women between the age of 15 to 49 years old.
Speaking, both the State health educator, Marcy Maigogo and the UNICEF officials, agreed that media involvement would go a long way in eliminating MNT in the entire axis of the state.
Admitting that the media are critical to the elimination of MNT, the need for the media not to cease from enlightening the public before, during and after the exercise, the duo organizations believed has become necessary.
stressing that MNT has been among the most common life threatening consequences of unclean deliveries and umbilical cord care practices, and are indicators of inequity in access to immunization and other maternal, newborn, and child health services, media involvement, as stated by them, cannot be overlooked.
Some critical stakeholders who spoke with our correspondent in the communities visited, rated the state high for it satisfactory in the just concluded MNTE immunization campaign Taraba.
One of the village heads who did not only described the exercise as a huge success, but also as a welcome development, believed that the era where newborns suffered from preventable diseases in the state, has come to an end.
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The village head, who told our correspondent how he personally took it upon himself to assist in mobilizing women of childbearing age in his community for the vaccinations, applauded the leadership of the agency and UNICEF for taking the bull by the horns.
Some of the women who also bared their minds to our correspondent, believed that the campaign would go a long way in protecting them and their unborn babies from tetanus infections.
Local government councils where the campaign was observed to have been carried out are Bali, Kurmi, Wukari and Yorro.
At the time of filing this report, Nigeria, as gathered by our correspondent, remains one of the twelve countries globally that is yet to eliminate tetanus.
The Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) initiative, as gathered by our correspondent, is aimed at reducing MNT cases to such low levels that the disease is no longer a major public health problem.
The exercise which was described as a welcome development by those who bared their minds to our correspondent, was observed to have been organized by the agency in collaboration with UNICEF.
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