1,500 Persons In Katsina To Benefit From Yellow Fever Vaccines

WHO Launches Vaccination Campaign Against Yellow Fever

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun a vaccination campaign in Danja Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State, following a recently-identified outbreak of Yellow Fever.

The exercise was targeted at over 1, 500 persons in the affected locations with the intention of restricting the epidemic on the already affected areas.

According WHO Country Representative, Dr. Wondi Alemu, the campaign brings to 10 (Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger, Nasarawa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Kwara and Zamfara) the overall number of states where the vaccination drive has been implemented.

Speaking through a statement in Abuja, on Tuesday, Alemu said that the exercise would complements government plan as guided by the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) strategy by 2026.

Records from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) indicated that Yellow Fever cases had been reported in 22 LGAs across 11 states in the last one year.

He also noted that Nigeria’s target was to vaccinate 25 million citizens by the end of 2018, while Polio infrastructure in the states continue to provide the required support to other non-polio vaccination campaigns.

Dr. Alemu, thus encouraged everyone in the affected locations to make themselves available to receive the vaccination which has the capacity to provide life-long immunity against the disease.

Meanwhile, WHO had disclosed that mass preventive vaccination campaigns would take place in Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, FCT, Plateau and Borno states as phase2b of Nigeria’s EYE strategic plan later in the year.