By: Bashir Hassan Abubakar
The Bauchi State Government has announced plans to vaccinate more than one million children as it prepares for a statewide integrated immunization campaign scheduled to commence in mid-October.
The exercise will see the formal introduction of the measles–rubella (MR) vaccine into the state’s routine immunization package, targeting children aged nine months to 14 years across all 20 local government areas.
Speaking at a media engagement organized by the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board to address vaccine hesitancy and equip journalists with accurate information, Abubakar Dabo, the State Community Engagement Focal Person and Deputy Health Educator, assured that all eligible children will be reached with the potent MR vaccine.
Dabo explained that while measles–rubella presents symptoms similar to regular measles, the infection can also affect adults of both sexes, making the vaccination of children critical to breaking transmission.
He further disclosed that the 10-day integrated campaign will also include the administration of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to nine-year-old girls to prevent cervical cancer, alongside other routine immunizations such as Polio, Rota, BCG, Hepatitis, and Penta vaccines.
Also speaking, Muhammad Dungus, Technical Assistant with the World Health Organization (WHO) Bauchi office, urged journalists to leverage the knowledge gained from the engagement to sensitize the public on the upcoming campaign and the introduction of the MR vaccine.
