By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
To stop outbreak of Yellow Fever, YF, in Nigeria the World Health Organization, WHO, CDC, Gavi, and Vaccine Alliance in a collaborative initiative with the Nigerian Government will launch a safety accelerated series of mass prevention to vaccinate 30 million people against Yellow Fever, YF in Seven states.
According to WHO in a statement made available to Journalists in Abuja said that the accelerated YF campaigns phase 4 will target more than 30 million people in seven states and complete the pending 2019 phase 3 YF campaign in Anambra State.
The seven states include Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Delta, Osun, Ondo and Oyo.
The new vaccination safety measures is in view of combating multiple public health challenges including COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
The acceleration has been endorsed by the global strategy to Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) by 2026.
In view of combating multiple public health challenges in Nigeria, the trio initiative has assured safe implementation in the COVID-19 context by providing personal protective equipment, PPE, and enhanced infection prevention control measures with funding from. Gavi and Vaccine Alliance.
Executive Secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr Shuaib Faisal, said, “While COVID-19 remains a pressing priority, we are pleased to be able to safely launch life-protecting vaccination campaigns against yellow fever this week. “Almost 30 million Nigerians will be protected for life from these campaigns in coming months – a remarkable achievement by our health care workers and communities,”
“We encourage all eligible persons in the state to come forward and get vaccinated. Yellow fever outbreaks have re-emerged as a serious public health concern since September 2017. The upcoming campaigns will help stop outbreaks and save lives.”
WHO Representative to Nigeria, Dr Kazadi Mulombo said, ” WHO has helped source and provide 265,000 face masks that will support safe implementation of life-saving yellow fever vaccination activities in the COVID-19 context in Anambra state.
WHO says that Yellow fever is a viral infection transmitted by infected mosquitos. The infection can cause serious disease, including fever and jaundice (yellowness of the eyes) and can even lead to death and that outbreaks of the disease can spread rapidly in communities and cause devastating and deadly illness.
