The Kwara State Government has announced plans to begin a statewide integrated vaccination campaign against measles, rubella, and polio from Saturday, October 11 to 20, 2025. The exercise targets children and adolescents aged nine months to 14 years across all 16 local government areas of the state.
The campaign, described as one of the most comprehensive in recent years, aims to curb preventable childhood diseases and strengthen the state’s health security framework.
To ensure the safety of health workers, particularly in communities facing security challenges, the government says it is working closely with security agencies, including the military and police.
Speaking during a media dialogue in Ilorin, the Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KWPHCDA), Prof. Nusirat Elelu, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to leaving no community behind.
“We are mobilising health personnel, military support, and logistics to reach every area, no matter how hard to access. It would be unfair for people battling insecurity to also be denied immunisation. That’s a double tragedy,” she said.
Prof. Elelu disclosed that discussions are ongoing with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and military authorities to ensure vaccines are safely delivered to high-risk zones.
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She explained that the campaign aligns with global health targets to eliminate measles and rubella by 2030, while stressing the critical role of the media in sensitising the public.
Represented by the Director of Primary Healthcare System, Dr. Michael Oguntoye, she noted that community engagement has already begun through traditional and religious leaders to encourage participation at the grassroots.
UNICEF’s Social Behaviour Specialist, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, in his keynote address, called on Nigeria to sustain its momentum in eradicating polio completely by 2025.
He reminded participants that although Nigeria was declared free of wild poliovirus in 2020, the country still ranks among those with a high number of “zero-dose” children—those who have never received any vaccination.
“The introduction of the Measles-Rubella vaccine is a landmark step. It’s free and lifesaving for every child aged nine months to 14 years. No child should be left behind,” Mohammed added.
Also speaking, the State Immunisation Officer, Hajia Sarat Yunus, warned that measles remains one of the most contagious viral diseases, capable of causing severe complications such as pneumonia, brain infection, and even death—particularly among unvaccinated children.
Representatives from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Usman Danlami and Mr. Emmanuel Eyitayo, both charged journalists to counter vaccine misinformation and help build public trust in immunisation.
The Kwara State Government said the campaign’s success depends heavily on media advocacy, community cooperation, and continuous public enlightenment.
