– As Ganduje assures adequate logistics support
By Unukere Oboh
Kano State Government has concluded arrangements to vaccinate about three million Children under the age of five years during this year’s measles vaccination exercise to begin on 31st Oct- 12 Nov, 2019.
To this end, the administration had already procured two million, nine hundred thousand vaccines aimed at ensuring effective vaccination of children across the State.
This was disclosed by the State Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje during the meeting of Task Force Committee on measles vaccination campaign with Local Government Chairmen and Districts Heads, held at Africa House.
“To achieve our targets on this year’s vaccination exercise against the spread of measles in the State, Government has procured 2,900,000 vaccines and distributed them to 1,200 Hospitals and some selected centres across the State.
“Not only that, we have trained 24,750 qualified Staff who are to carry out the vaccination exercise and made all the necessary provisions for their effective performance and operation, ” said Ganduje
The Governor represented by his Deputy Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna maintained that his administration would continue to intensify effort in taking all the necessary measures to prevent the spread of measles and other child killer diseases across the State.
“We are fully aware on how the disease is spread through various means of contact and that is why, this time around, we have made adequate arrangements to achieve 100% success of the programme, ” he emphasized.
He noted that based on the previous record of 2017 measles vaccination exercise during which Kano achieved only 75%, more efforts need to be put in place to make the State winner of the vaccination exercise among its counterparts.
Ganduje said “it is in view of this development, I would like to call on the Local Government Chairmen and our District Heads to, inspite of their tide schedules , ensure that they accord all the deserved priorities to this programme and make sure that they attend the daily evening review meeting usually conducted during the vaccination period. ”
While calling on parents to continue to cooperate with the health personnel during the next round of the exercise, Ganduje appreciated the effort of all the development partners towards the general success of the programme in the State.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary Kano State Ministry of Health Alhaji Usman Bala explained that the task force meeting was part of the 2019 measles vaccination exercise’s preparations and the systematic plans to be adopted.
The Permanent Secretary maintained that during the programme, not less than 95% of Children under the age of five years are targeted to be vaccinated as this category becomes the most common victims of measles infection.
Usman Bala justified that…” His Excellency Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje provides all the logistics support needed whenever the programme on immunization comes and this makes the State to get best record so far”
Bala further thanked the traditional rulers, parents and other stakeholders in the State for coming together to ensure success of the vaccination exercise.
Speaking on behalf of the five Emirate Councils in the State, the District Head of Ajingi, Sarkin Yakin Gaya Alhaji Wada Aliyu stressed the need for traditional leaders to put heads together towards enlightening the Parents to bring out their Children to the designed vaccination centres.
