With Nigeria accounting for nearly half of Africa’s measles burden recording over 94,000 cases and 719 deaths between 2019 and 2024, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Kwara State Government have called on media practitioners to intensify public awareness ahead of the nationwide Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign.
The appeal was made at a media dialogue in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, where participants were urged to counter misinformation and encourage parents to present their children for immunization.
UNICEF’s Social and Behavioral Change Expert, Ibrahim Muhammed, described measles as a major cause of infant deaths, stressing that the MR vaccine targeting children aged nine months to fourteen years is safe, effective, and free with an appeal for journalists to mobilize communities and make them understand that immunization as an act of care and protection
The Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Professor Nusirat Elelu who was represented by Dr Mike Oguntoye, noted that the campaign, holding from October 11 to 22 across all 16 local government areas, will later be integrated into routine immunization.
The consensus among UNICEF, WHO, and other partners is for journalists to tell accurate and impactful stories to build public trust, dispel misinformation, and ensure successful vaccination coverage nationwide.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
