Ekiti Launches Statewide Vaccination Drive Against Measles and Rubella

The Ekiti State Government has announced plans to begin the administration of the Measles–Rubella (MR) vaccine this month as part of efforts to strengthen routine immunisation and protect children from preventable diseases.

The State Immunisation Officer, Mrs Omolabake Ogundola, described measles and rubella as highly contagious and potentially fatal illnesses, noting that the introduction of the MR vaccine is aimed at safeguarding children and closing existing immunity gaps across the state.

She made this known in Ado Ekiti on Friday during a media orientation and sensitisation programme organised by the Ekiti State Primary Health Care Development Agency in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), ahead of the statewide vaccination exercise.

According to Ogundola, the MR vaccine will be incorporated into the state’s routine immunisation schedule in the third week of January, following a 10-day mass vaccination campaign. The campaign is expected to target children between nine months and 14 years of age.

She explained that after the campaign, the MR vaccine would replace the standalone measles vaccine and would be administered routinely at nine months and 15 months as first and second doses respectively.

Ogundola noted that the exercise is expected to cover about 17 per cent of Ekiti State’s population, adding that achieving between 90 and 95 per cent coverage would be regarded as a successful rollout. She said both administrative data and post-campaign surveys would be used to evaluate the outcome.

Outlining implementation strategies, she said all health facilities providing routine immunisation services across the state would remain operational throughout the campaign. In addition, mobile vaccination teams would be deployed to communities to establish temporary vaccination posts.

She added that special outreach programmes would target rural settlements, farm camps, factory communities and security-challenged areas, with support from security agencies where necessary.

Also speaking, the Director of Disease Control and Immunisation, Dr Segun Adeoye, described immunisation as one of the most effective public health interventions worldwide, emphasising its role in reducing illness and deaths among children and mothers.

Adeoye stressed the importance of the media as a key partner in public health campaigns, noting that media credibility helps build public trust and confidence.

He said the orientation was organised to equip journalists with accurate and reliable information on the MR vaccine, including its safety, effectiveness, target groups and campaign strategies, in order to promote consistent and responsible reporting.

According to him, strong collaboration between the health sector and the media is vital in countering misinformation, myths and public apprehension surrounding vaccination.

The State Technical Assistant with the World Health Organisation, Dr Ebube Eronini, described the vaccination drive as a crucial intervention designed to eliminate immunity gaps against measles and rubella, which are highly infectious diseases.

She said the campaign would extend to all communities and settlements in Ekiti State to ensure that every eligible child is reached.

Eronini explained that measles can lead to serious complications such as malnutrition, blindness, brain inflammation and death, particularly among children under five years, while rubella poses grave risks to pregnant women, often resulting in congenital rubella syndrome that can cause hearing loss, heart defects and visual impairment in newborns.

The State Technical Assistant for the International Vaccine Access Centre, Mrs Folakemi Aladenika, urged parents and caregivers to take full advantage of the campaign period, warning that children outside the eligible age bracket would no longer have access to the vaccine once it becomes fully integrated into routine immunisation.

Meanwhile, the State Health Educator, Dr Olajumoke Oguntoye, said extensive stakeholder engagement had been carried out, adding that traditional rulers, religious leaders, school authorities, parent-teacher associations and education professionals had all endorsed the vaccination exercise.