By LUCY OSUIZIGBO-OKECHUKWU

The Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ESPHCDA) said it targets to vaccinate 942,707 children in the 2024 Integrated Measles Campaign.

Dr Chinyere Chime, State Health Educator, ESPHCDA, gave the statistics at the Zonal Meeting ahead of the 2024 integrated measles campaign.

The meeting was organised by UN Children?s Funds (UNICEF) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Friday in Enugu.

Chime said that the agency had received 853,000 doses of vaccines for immunization of children against measles.

The health educator said that the agency vaccinated 891,454 children exceeding its target of 607,041 in the measles campaign held in 2022.

She said the agency had planned to surpass its target in the 2024 vaccination deploying media awareness, town hall meetings and advocacy visits to critical stakeholders as its strategies.

According to her, the measles vaccination which targets children from nine months to 59 months of age is scheduled to begin on Oct. 12 and to end on Oct. 18.

?Nigeria has one of the highest incidences of measles and zero dose cases globally. The vaccination is an opportunity to reduce incidence of zero-dose children in the zero dose LGAs,? she said.

Also speaking, Dr Hilary Ozoh, Social and Behaviour Change Specialist, UNICEF, described measles as a dangerous disease and one of the leading causes of death among children.

Ozoh said that measles could cause blindness, death and reduce a child?s ability to fight other diseases resulting in frequent illness.

He said that the target of the 2024 integrated measles campaign which would be implemented in Anambra, Benue, Enugu, Cross River and Kogi states, required intensified awareness especially at the grassroots.

He urged the media to educate and enlighten Nigerians on the measles campaign through consistent reportage. (NAN)