In a renewed push to strengthen public health and protect children from preventable diseases, the Bayelsa State Government has launched a community-focused immunization campaign aimed at deepening vaccination coverage across rural communities.
Mr. Doubara Atasi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor on Friday in a signed statement said the initiative, which combines the State Immunization Plus Days (SIPDs) with the Routine Immunization Intensification Campaign, was flagged off at Otuokpoti Community in Ogbia Local Government Area.
Unlike previous years, this year’s exercise will see flag-off ceremonies rotate across all local government areas to ensure greater participation and awareness among rural dwellers.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said the government’s decision to take the campaign closer to the people aligns with its goal of achieving universal health coverage and improving child survival rates.
Read Also: WHO, UNICEF Partner With Rivers State on Healthcare
“Our mothers should know that it is always cheaper for you to have your child immunized for malaria and protect the child from malaria disease for about five years than for you not to immunize the child,” Ewhrudjakpo said.
He highlighted the government’s commitment to maintaining collaboration with international partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Rotary International, whose contributions, he said, have been instrumental to the state’s progress in the health sector.
The Deputy Governor also urged parents to prioritise the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination for young girls to curb the rising incidence of cervical cancer, describing it as a growing public health concern nationwide.
Reaffirming the government’s stance against counterfeit and expired medical products, Ewhrudjakpo assured that enforcement agencies would continue to clamp down on the sale of fake drugs to protect citizens.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, noted that decentralising the flag-off events would boost rural sensitisation and encourage community participation in immunization activities.
He commended Governor Douye Diri and the Deputy Governor for driving a people-oriented health policy that seeks to raise the life expectancy of Bayelsans.
Traditional and religious leaders also pledged their support for the campaign. The Obanobhan of Ogbia Kingdom, King Charles Owaba, represented by Chief Sopana Amakiri-Agala, lauded the initiative but urged the state government to intensify its war against fake drugs.
Similarly, representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Muslim community, and the Ogbia Brotherhood’s women’s wing pledged to mobilise families for the immunization exercise.
Development partners, including WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International, and the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, reaffirmed their readiness to sustain support for the state’s health interventions.
The highlight of the event was the symbolic administration of the oral polio vaccine to children by the Deputy Governor, the Health Commissioner, and the Ogbia Local Government Chairman, Mr Golden Jeremiah.
