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Kogi Government has called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and community based organisations to mobilise people at the grassroots for effective vaccination across the state.
The State’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Saka Audu, spoke on Monday at the official flag-off ceremony of 2017 African Vaccination Week (AVW) in Ojikpadala community in Anyigba.
According to him, effective mobilisation will go a long way in addressing the health needs of the people especially the downtrodden at the grassroots.
Audu said that the AVW was aimed to strengthen immunisation programmes in African region by keeping it high on national agenda, increase awareness and right to be protected from vaccine preventable diseases.
“Immunisation is recognized as one of the most successful and cost effective public health interventions in the world. The theme for this year’s AVW is “Vaccine Protects All, Get Vaccinated”.
“It has helped in prevent what would have have led to the death of countless number of people around the world. It is therefore, expedient that we all embrace it in all our communities,” Audu said.
He, therefore, urged the people to make themselves available at the different health facilities that have been made available for the exercise as both children and adults would be screened and treated.
This year’s vaccination will be carried out in 3 selected LGAs, namely; Ankpa, Dekina and Igalamela; due to high un- immunised children, underserved communities, low population immunity and non-compliance in some of the communities.
Also speaking, a representative of World Health Organisation (WHO), Mr Kennedy Adejoh, said the Organisation was committed to sensitising the people on the need to immunise all children in the state.
“When people are immunized, it will save lives, improve education, economic growth and poverty reduction. Our organization will continue to support Kogi State to achieve its new direction agenda on health issues,” Adejoh said.
The representative of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Mr James Afolayan, said “government at all levels should make health issue their priority.
“We must sensitise the people to let them know that immunisation is their right and their need, and demand for it.”
The Eje of Dekina, Dr Usman Obaje, who spoke on behalf of the royal fathers, expressed gratitude to the governor for taking the vaccination programme to the grassroots which he described as the first of its kind in the history of the state.
He said: “we have never had immunisation like this before in this particular community (Ojikpadala), but the Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has remembered us; may God keep him for us”.
Obaje, however, appealed to the local government Administrators to contribute their own quota to community development and carry the traditional rulers along in their programmes for effective implementation.
Credits: Stephen Adeleye | NAN
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