State records 68% coverage within one week as government intensifies campaign to eliminate deadly childhood diseases.

The Enugu State Government has announced that over 1.5 million children have received vaccines against measles and rubella within one week of the ongoing statewide immunisation campaign.

The Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Ocheku, disclosed this during the flag-off of the integrated Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign held at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu.

She revealed that about 68 per cent of the target population of 2.2 million children across the state had already been vaccinated, describing the turnout as a strong demonstration of the state’s commitment to eliminating both diseases.

In her words: “We are gathered not just for a ceremony but for a declaration. We declare that the life of a child in Nsukka is as valuable as that of any other child anywhere.

“In Enugu, the health of our children is non-negotiable. We prioritise it. We declare zero measles and zero rubella in Enugu State.”

Ani-Ocheku further explained that health workers embarked on aggressive community mobilisation, moving from house to house and visiting schools, churches, and mosques to ensure every eligible child receives the vaccine.

She added that no serious adverse effects had been recorded since the exercise commenced.

Highlighting the dangers of the diseases, she noted that measles has an incubation period of 10 to 14 days and can cause blindness, deafness, brain swelling, and even death. Rubella, which incubates for 14 to 21 days, poses significant risks, including congenital disabilities in unborn children when contracted by pregnant women.

Meanwhile, the governor emphasised that health remains a central pillar of his administration’s economic strategy, stressing that a sick child cannot learn effectively or grow into an innovator, engineer, or leader.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, and the Chairman of Oji River Local Government Area, Mr Greg Anyaegbudike, also urged parents and caregivers with children aged between nine months and 14 years to ensure they are vaccinated.