By Lucky Isibor
The Edo State Government, in collaboration with development partners, has targeted about 2.2 million children aged between 0 and 14 years for measles and rubella vaccination across the state.
The vaccination exercise is scheduled to take place simultaneously from January 20 to January 30, 2026, across the 18 local government areas of Edo State at designated health facilities and temporary vaccination posts.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting in Benin City, the Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Eseigbe Efeomon, said the campaign aims to contribute significantly to the reduction of measles and rubella incidence in Nigeria to 10 cases per million by 2026 and further to one case per million by 2030. He explained that achieving this target requires increased population immunity through sustained vaccination.
Dr. Efeomon noted that the campaign would cover all 18 local government areas, with teams approved at the national level working alongside additional teams supported by the state and local governments.
He stressed that only qualified and certified health workers would be recruited as vaccinators because the vaccines are injectable.
According to him, the vaccination strategy would involve fixed posts and temporary fixed posts, and vaccination cards would be issued to all vaccinated children as proof, which parents and caregivers are advised to keep for future reference.
He added that vaccination teams would visit schools, churches, mosques, markets, motor parks, internally displaced persons’ camps and other public places, while children who receive the vaccine would be finger-marked to prevent double vaccination.
He reiterated that the overarching goal of the campaign is to drastically reduce rubella incidence nationwide and protect children from preventable diseases through effective immunisation coverage.
Also speaking, the World Health Organization Local Government Facilitator, Mr. Ajaero Paul, described measles and rubella as major causes of death and congenital abnormalities among children globally. He said both diseases are preventable through the measles-rubella vaccine, which he described as safe and effective, adding that sustained advocacy is critical to reducing child mortality and lifelong disabilities.
On his part, UNICEF Social and Behavioural Change Health Officer, Yakubu Suleiman, emphasised that the measles-rubella vaccine is safe and effective for all children aged nine months to 14 years. He stated that the government has fully paid for the vaccines, making them available at no cost to all eligible children in government health facilities across the state.
Suleiman explained that vaccination not only protects individual children but also safeguards communities from deadly vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and rubella. He added that even children who had previously received the measles vaccine should still be given the measles-rubella vaccine and appealed to schools and other key stakeholders to support the campaign to ensure that no child is left behind.