Mrs Otti Moblises Stakeholders to Save Abia Children from Measles

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti, has urged stakeholders to brace up for the campaign to ensure full vaccination coverage to save Abia children from the measles rubella, a major child-killer disease.
She made the clarion call weekend during a crucial meeting with stakeholders on the Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign held at government house Umuahia.
Mrs. Otti decried the negative impact of misinformation in undermining efforts to achieve full immunisation of children against measles rubella.
But she galvanised stakeholders, including wives of local government Mayors and community leaders to rise up and use the “right information” to spread the benefits of vaccinating Abia children against measles.
“Your voices carry influence, and we need your leadership to correct the falsehoods that are preventing families from vaccinating their children,” she said.
The Abia first lady lamented that “too many lives have been lost to vaccine-preventable diseases” hence “we cannot allow misinformation to stand in the way of a healthier future for our children”.
“As mothers, community leaders, and role models, we have a shared responsibility to protect the health of our children,” Mrs. Otti stated.
She assured Abia mothers and caregivers that “measles-rubella vaccine is safe, effective, and saves lives”, adding that it has continued to face resistance “due to myths, fear, and misinformation”.
Reeling out statistics from the World Health Organization(WHO), as of 2023, Mrs. Otti noted that approximately 83 percent of children globally received their first dose of a measles-containing vaccine by their second birthday, and 74 percent received two doses.
However, she regretted that in Nigeria, the rate of vaccination coverage “are significantly lower” as only about 60 percent of children received the first dose and just 38 percent receiving the second dose.
According to her “this suboptimal coverage has led to frequent outbreaks”, citing the reported 297 measles outbreaks in the first half of 2023 alone, and which resulted in approximately 16,000 suspected cases and at least 70 deaths.
“These statistics underscore the urgent need for increased vaccination coverage and accurate information dissemination,”.
The Abia Governor’s wife commended the Community Wellness Initiative Nigeria (C-WIN) and dedicated health professionals “for their tireless efforts in making this campaign possible”.
“Your work is invaluable, and I assure you that the government of Abia State fully supports this mission to immunize every eligible child against measles and rubella,” she told the campaigners.
While encouraging Abia mothers and caregivers to be receptive to vaccinating their babies, she explained that “measles and rubella are not just mild childhood illnesses”.
“They are dangerous diseases that can lead to complications such as blindness, pneumonia, brain damage, and even death,” she said, adding that “the good news is that these diseases can be prevented with a simple vaccine”.
“We must take this message to the grassroots. We must ensure that no child in Abia State is left unprotected,” the Abia first lady said.