The Katsina state government announces the vaccination of about 1,876,781 children during its recent vaccination exercise across the state, showing result in a 103 per cent coverage.
Dr Shamsuddeen Yahaya, the Executive Secretary of the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Katsina.
According to the executive secretary, the state government had earlier targeted to vaccinate about 1,826,256 children aged between nine and 59 months.
He said that 1,983,260 vaccines were used during the exercise and 6 per cent wastage, 729 non-serious Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI), and zero AEFI were recorded.
“The exercise had started on Oct. 28, 2023, and lasted seven days, covering 34 Local Government Areas (LGAs), and all 361 wards of the state.
“Measles is a viral infection that is serious for younger children, but can be easily prevented by a vaccine.
“The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing that can lead to serious complications like malnutrition, blindness and even death if not treated early,” Yahaya explained.
He noted that the campaign was in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, with support from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Others who supported the exercise are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), E-health and other development partners.
