Yemisi Dada
Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-olu, has flagged off the National Immunization week in Lagos, with a call on parents to avail their children from age zero to five years for polio vaccines between third and sixth of May.
At the kickoff ceremony at the Lagos House, Alausa, Dr. Sanwo-olu, said the state government remains committed to ensure no child in Lagos dies of any disease which can be prevented by immunization.
She urged community and religious leaders as well as the Media to champion the course of the advocacy to correct all misinformations and myths about vaccines, noting that it is safe.
“As a mother, I understand the urgency of shielding our children from preventable deadly diseases through cost-effective solutions,” Dr. Sanwo-Olu remarked.
“I hereby call for collective action, urging parents and guardians to take advantage of the campaign by visiting nearby health facilities to secure the life-saving vaccines for their children”
Permanent Secretary Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, LSPHCB, Dr. Ibrahim Mustafa, said the goal of World Immunization Week is for more people and their communities to be protected from vaccine preventable diseases and the theme this year is “Immunization for all is humanly possible.”
The Chief of the UNICEF Field Office for Southwest, Nigeria, Ms Celine Lafoucriere, maintained that over two million children in Nigeria are still not immunized which pose threats to their well-being and that of others in their communities, hence the need for aggressive awareness to reduce Polio to the barest, noting that oral polio vaccine prevent over twenty four million cases of paralysis.
On his part, Director Health Education and Information, Lagos State Health District 1, Mr Olawole Abiola, appealed to parents especially mothers to ensure their children take the full doses of immunization saying one off vaccination is not good enough, with emphasis that the many myths around vaccines are not true and children should not be deprived of their fundamental human rights.
“The campaign aims for broad coverage by reaching eligible individuals in diverse locations such as communities, schools, religious centers, and healthcare facilities at all levels and the need for critical role of clear and accurate communication to combat misinformation about vaccine safety, urging the public to seek information from reputable sources, including health professionals, the World Health Organization and UNICEF.”
A commemorative immunization walk was done from the office of the first lady at Alausa to Ikeja with health workers displaying placards with the immunization week theme, “Immunization for all, is humanly possible, for every child: complete vaccination.