Poised to reduce infants mortality associated with measles outbreak, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board, has revealed it plans to immunise children against measles across the territory.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the board, Matthew Ashikeni, disclosed recently that children between the ages of nine months and five years would be vaccinated when the exercise commences in February 8 to February 13.
Ashikeni, via a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report, noted that the immunisation would be conducted in all Primary Health Care centres, schools, on the streets and wherever children within the age bracket are found, to ensure no child is left out.
According to him, the vaccination is very important because of its adverse health implication on children.
“A lot of blindness you see among our children is the consequence of complication from measles and it is also life threatening.
“Measles cause brain infection, life threatening diarrhoea, vomiting and malnutrition and many affected children die if it is not properly managed,’’ he said.
He therefore urged parents to bring out their children and wards for the vaccination against measles.
