The Lagos State Government will on Saturday commence the vaccination of over 18 million Lagosians under its Non-Polio Supplemental Immunisation.
The immunisation exercise which is in partnership with UNICEF is billed to hold 19th of October in all the State's 57 Local Government Development Agencies, LCDAs.
Addressing journalists at a Media Orientation on Non-Polio Supplemental Immunisation Activities (Integrated Yellow Fever) on Monday in Lagos, the Permanent Secretary organised by the Ministry of Information and Strategy and UNICEF, Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Abimbola Bowale said 85 per cent of Lagosians from 9 months to 44 years will be given yellow booster doses.
He said other vaccines to be given include: measles vaccines- from 9 months to 18 months, HPV vaccines against cervical cancer that cover from 9 years to 14 years, and polio among other routine immunisations.
"The goal is to achieve herd immunity and the only way to do so is to ensure that at least 95 per cent of the eligible population receive the measles vaccine and 80 per cent of the eligible population receive the yellow fever vaccine.
"Vaccination is safe and vaccination can ensure that we prevent a lot of preventable diseases from maiming and killing our people. We are looking at about 95 per cent coverage of the population of Lagos.
"I implore you to harness your platforms to amplify our message. Informing the public about the benefits of these supplemental immunizations and the safety protocols can significantly boost participation and trust in these health initiatives. Together, let us ensure that no child is left behind, that every mother is reassured, and that every community understands the indispensable value of these immunisation efforts."
Speaking, the Immunisation Programme Coordinator for Lagos, the primary health care, Dr. Akinpelu Adetola said the state-wide immunisation campaign was necessary as over the past two to three years, there have been several outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, yellow fever, diphtheria, and the recent cholera.
Stating that the outbreaks show an immunity gap in the community, he explained that the easiest way to close those gaps was to have a state-wide immunisation activity while ramping up routine immunisation process in the states.
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"For yellow fever, we're supposed to vaccinate 85 per cent of everyone in the state and that gives us roughly about 21 million-plus people. Yellow fever is an injectable, we need to have qualified healthcare workers who can provide these vaccines.
"We have started engaging all the CDAs, all the CDCs. We've engaged all the religious bodies at the ward level, at local government level, and at the state level," he stated.
