The Ekiti State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ESPHCDA) has kick started the Polio Outbreak Response (OBR) campaign in the State. According to reports, the National Immunisation Plus Days programme witnessed a large turnout from parents across all the Local Governments in the State.
According to the State Health Educator, Dr (Mrs) Olajumoke Oguntoye, the campaign against Vaccine Derive Polio Virus is necessary and set to immunize all children between the age of 0 – 59 months (under 5 years) all across the Local Governments and the LCDAs in the State. She also noted that the duration period for the immunisation programme is 4 days, starting from 3rd to 7th of May this year.
According to her, while the National Immunisation Plus Days is designed to prevent a future reoccurrence of the disease in the State, the vaccine is also safe, free and effective for the well-being of our children and important to maintaining a Polio free status in the State.
The programme being supervised by State team, partners, national officers and independent monitors in Ekiti according to her, is to ensure the success of the program
Dr Oguntoye enjoined some care givers who are yet to receive the oral polio vaccine for their children to do so noting that, the caregiver should also continue their routine immunization schedule for their children after the national immunization plus days.
She stressed further that, as part of the immunisation exercise, Mothers will also receive vitamin A supplement during this 4 days program, while the programme which is supposed to round up on Tuesday will have 2 days added for what she called mop up activities.
She commended the parents for their trust in the vaccine by trooping out in large numbers for the immunisation exercise. She also thanked the stakeholders and the community leaders across the State for their cooperation by ensuring that the parents respond effectively to their calls. She however enjoined them to keep up the good work by ensuring that no child is left out in the exercise.