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The United Nations Children’s Fund is targeting vaccinating about five million children for immunity against measles and other child-killer diseases in the Southwest region and Edo states.
UNICEF Social Behavioural Change Expert, Aderonke Akinola-Adewole, urged parents to present their children for vaccination during the weeklong 2024 Integrated Supplemental Immunisation Activities to be undertaken in Ekiti, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ogun and Edo states beginning on October 5.
The immunisation activity is to be undertaken by UNICEF in collaboration with the governments of Ekiti, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ogun and Edo states in the different states.
Akinola-Adewole spoke at a one-day zonal media orientation on Human Papilloma Virus/Polio Supplemental Immunisation Integrated Activity organized by Oyo State Ministry of Information in collaboration with UNICEF for relevant government health officials and media practitioners from the Southwest and Edo states.
The SBC expert, who said immunisation would eradicate diseases like polio, measles, yellow fever, HPV, among others, told parents, “Over the years, vaccines have proven to be effective in actually eradicating some public health diseases such as small pox. So why would we want our children to be unprotected from things that can be protected?”
She dismissed the myths and misconceptions debarring some parents from presenting their children for vaccination, saying, “Vaccines are safe, effective and free” as she called on media to assist with sensitisation on the safety and reliability of vaccines.
Speaking on the 2024 Integrated Supplemental Immunisation Activities, the SBC expert said, “Vaccinations for children are life-savers, in fact, they are part of the rights of children.”
