Measles: Katsina Govt. vaccinates over 1.8m children

The Katsina state government says it has vaccinated no fewer than 1,876,781 children during its recent vaccination exercise across the state, resulting in a 103 per cent coverage.

Dr Shamsuddeen Yahaya, the Executive Secretary of the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, disclosed this in an interview with our reporter in Katsina.

According to the executive secretary, the state government had earlier targeted to vaccinate about 1,826,256 children aged between nine and 59 months.

He said that 1,983,260 vaccines were used during the exercise and 6 per cent wastage, 729 non-serious Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI), and zero AEFI were recorded.

“The exercise started on Oct. 28, 2023, and lasted seven days, covering 34 Local Government Areas (LGAs), and all 361 wards of the state.

“Measles is a viral infection that’s serious for small children, but it’s easily preventable by a vaccine.

“The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing and it can lead to serious complications like malnutrition, blindness and even death if not treated early,” Yahaya explained.

He pointed out that the campaign was in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, with support from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Others which supported the exercise are Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), E-health and other development partners.