The commencement of an integrated mass vaccination campaign to prevent Yellow fever has been scheduled by the Borno State Government in three out of the 27 local government areas within the state.
The identification of the targeted Local Government Areas (LGAs) as Jere, MMC, and Ngala was disclosed by Mohammed Ghuluze, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Human Services of the state. This information was shared in Maiduguri on Monday.
Ghuluze, the representative of Governor Babagana Zulum at the annual inauguration of the Integrated Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Week, announced that the campaign is scheduled to commence on July 12 and conclude on July 23, 2023.
“The vaccination will be conducted at health facilities and temporary fixed posts located within the communities aimed at providing preventive measures against Yellow fever.
“The targeted age group for the Yellow fever vaccination are individuals ranging from age nine months to 44 years,” he said.
He clarified that mosquito-borne Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness.
“The ‘yellow’ in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients,” Ghuluze said
He stated that only one dosage of the Yellow fever vaccine is necessary to provide lifelong immunity and defence against the illness.
The Executive Director, Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Prof. Mohammed Arab, said, “The core high-impact interventions of MNCHW are deworming, vitamin A supplementation and nutritional screening for children; maternal nutrition and complementary services in antenatal care; as well as health promotion services.”
