The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Monday, flagged off the introduction of the integrated measles-rubella vaccine campaign at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja. This initiative targets 106 million children aged nine months to under 15 years in two phases as part of a collective effort to end vaccine-preventable childhood diseases and safeguard the nation’s future.
She noted that “Measles can cause blindness, permanent disability, and, in too many cases, death.
“Its twin disease, rubella, though often silent, is equally harmful, especially to unborn children of infected pregnant women who may be born with blindness, deafness, or serious heart defects.
“These diseases steal the future of our sons and daughters. This flag-off signals a collective national resolve to end the devastation caused by measles and rubella.
Mrs. Tinubu reaffirmed her personal commitment to promoting vaccine uptake and pledged to mobilize governors’ wives, spouses of local government chairmen, and women’s groups to ensure that no child was left unprotected.
The First Lady hailed the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and development partners WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and the Gates Foundation for their partnership and dedication to Nigeria’s public health goals.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director for Immunization and Disease Control at the Gates Foundation Nigeria, Yusuf Yusufari, emphasized the resilience and progress of Nigeria’s immunisation journey.
Yusufari recalled that two years ago, Nigeria introduced the HPV vaccine into its routine immunization program at the same venue, led by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
