Tina Stephen
Rivers state primary health care management board has declared that about 80 percent‐coverage was achieved for the first phase of measles immunization campaign.
The Permanent Secretary of the board, Dr Agiriye Harry, who stated this to our correspondent, Tina Stephen, in an interview, said that the board is working towards achieving the 100 percent measles coverage in the state.
Dr Agiriye noted that some of the challenges encountered during the first phase where refusal of access to some private schools and running out of measles vaccine, which he said are been taking‐care of.
“The first batch is not stopping because the second batch has started, we are going to mop up and reach places we couldn’t get to and areas of issue. As the campaign started, quite a good number of private schools refused we vaccinate the children, we got them engaged and sensitized them on the importance of the measles vaccine which they later granted us access except for isolated cases.”
He urged parent, teachers, proprietors, head of schools and religious leaders to get their children immunised in the ongoing measles vaccination, adding that its for the safety and future of those children.
“Every parents and guardian should take their children to health facilities and vaccination temporal centers to immunize their children between the ages of 9months – 5years ”
Our correspondent reports that a total number of 59 private schools in Obioakpor LGA, 3 schools in Eleme LGA, 10 schools in Portharcourt city LGA and 2 schools in Oyigbo LGA didn’t comply for measles vaccination of the children.
He further said, that the rumour on monkey pox vaccination affected most parent and schools, stressing that the Board is carrying out lots of sensitization exercise to debunk the rumour.
