Council vacinates residents against measles

Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State has commenced sensitisation on measles vaccination in the community to eradicate the spread of the disease.

The Executive Chairman of the Council, Samson Olatunde urged the residents to support the government’s initiatives on the provision of better healthcare services, through the prevention of deadly diseases among children.

He made this known during the commencement of measles vaccination for children at all primary health centres in Olorunda LCDA, based on the flagged-off of the first round of the Year 2022 Integrated Measles Vaccination Campaign by the Wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. Claudiana Sanwo-Olu.

The Chairman represented by the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for the Council, Dr. Agosu Adewale, stated measles vaccine was safe and effective in preventing the deadly virus, as it produces 90 to 95 per cent life-long immunity to measles.

He said the vaccination campaign is scheduled to run from Friday, June 17, through Monday, July 4, 2022, across all LGAs and LCDAs in Lagos State with the main objective to immunise all eligible children between the ages nine and 59 months with measles vaccination.

The Council’s boss described measles as a highly contagious disease that affects children and spreads quickly from child to child, including from infected children to healthy and well-nourished children, especially in crowded areas like homes, schools and playgrounds.

He emphasised on the danger of measles, saying it is a very infectious disease caused by a virus, which affects mostly children and reduces their ability to fight other diseases, resulting in frequent illness.

“The symptoms of measles-affected children can develop high fever, cough, runny nose, sneezing, redness of eyes, loss of appetite and skin rashes that appeared all over the body and if not prevented or promptly treated, could lead to blindness, diarrhea, pneumonia, ear infections and even death,” he said.

He added that the council gives free medical healthcare services to the children, such as routine Oral Polio Vaccine with Vitamin A, which would be given to children from age 0 to 59 months and adequate treatment for pregnant as well as nursing mothers in the standard Primary Health Centres.

“All hands must be on deck, as the community leaders and residents were urged for collective responsibilities in eradicating measles, to seek medical help for affected victims, mobilisation for routine and other supplementary immunisation,” he said.

He re-assured that the measles vaccine is administered for the ongoing house-to-house immunisation exercise was free, safe, effective and capable of boosting the immunity of children.

“The only way to protect your children against measles and other deadly diseases is to have them immunised with routine vaccinations at younger ages, based on the recommendation by World Health Organisation (WHO) and Nigeria’s routine immunisation schedule,” he said.