By Alex Umeh
Concerned about Nigeria’s ranking as one of the countries with the highest number of “zero-dose” children, the Federal Government in partnership with UNICEF, Nasarawa State, and global health partners has launched a major immunization campaign to reach over 1.3 million children with life-saving vaccines.
The campaign, set to begin October 7, will deliver the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine alongside the Oral Polio Vaccine to children between the ages of nine months and 14 years across Nasarawa State.
Speaking at a media engagement in Lafia, UNICEF Specialist, Dr. Lugman Ahmed, described the campaign as a critical step in reversing child deaths from preventable diseases. He stressed that measles and rubella continue to pose serious risks, while polio still lingers as a threat to Nigerian children despite global progress.
“For decades, measles has been one of the leading killers of children under five. Rubella, though less known, causes life-long harm to unborn children. Nigeria cannot afford to leave any child unprotected,” Ahmed said.
He warned that Nigeria’s large pool of unvaccinated children fuels frequent outbreaks, adding that defeating polio requires at least 95% coverage of children under five in every round of immunization.
Calling the MR vaccine “safe, free, and government-backed,” Ahmed urged parents to treat immunization not as an option but as a parental duty and a communal responsibility. He also appealed to journalists to counter myths and misinformation that discourage parents from taking advantage of vaccination opportunities.
In his remarks, the Director of Health Education at the Nasarawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mr. Ishaya Amegwa, revealed that Governor Abdullahi Sule was the first state governor to endorse MR routine immunization in Nigeria. He noted that the state has intensified community sensitization to ensure parents and caregivers bring out their children for vaccination.
“This exercise will run for 10 days. After that period, only children between nine to fifteen months will be eligible for the MR vaccine under routine immunization. That’s why we are urging parents not to miss this window,” Amegwa said.
The campaign, supported by WHO, Gavi and other partners, is part of a nationwide push to cut infant mortality, eradicate polio by 2025, and protect future generations from vaccine-preventable diseases.
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