The Benue State Government has vaccinated more than 300 children at the temporary Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp housing displaced residents from Yelewata against measles, rubella, and polio.
The immunisation drive is part of the ongoing integrated vaccination campaign aimed at protecting children from preventable diseases across the state.
The exercise, which began on Saturday at the Makurdi International Market where the Yelewata IDPs are currently sheltered, targets children in vulnerable communities. Mrs Benedicta Aboh, the Chief Supervisor of the Integrated Vaccination Campaign Fixed Team, confirmed the development on Sunday in Makurdi, noting that the campaign would reach all eligible children in the area.
Aboh explained that although her team operates in Guma Local Government Area, the Yelewata IDPs fall within their jurisdiction, hence the decision to extend the vaccination to them. “We have so far immunised more than 250 children since the exercise started, and we are ensuring that no eligible child is left out,” she stated.
According to her, the vaccination covers routine immunisation for children aged 0 to 23 months, measles-rubella for those between nine months and 14 years, and oral polio vaccine for children aged 0 to 59 months. The team is also administering the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to girls aged nine, as well as treatments for neglected tropical diseases and seasonal malaria chemoprevention.
The Chief Supervisor added that there has been no report of resistance from parents, and all eligible children have willingly participated. She also revealed that more rounds of immunisation would be conducted due to the large turnout of children at the camp.
State Immunisation Officer, Mr Innocent Adega, said that the state received 2.7 million doses of measles-rubella vaccines and 2.3 million doses of oral polio vaccines for the campaign. He disclosed that a total of 1,110 fixed teams and 1,274 house-to-house teams were deployed across the 23 local government areas. “The exercise will run from October 18 to 27, with two additional mop-up days to ensure total coverage,” Adega said, assuring that the process has been smooth and without major challenges.