Kaduna Govt releases N38m for anti-measles campaign

The Kaduna State Government has released N38 mil­lion to combat measles as it embarks on a state-wide immunisation cam­paign.

At a joint press con­ference with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the state Deputy Director, Prima­ry Health Care Develop­ment Agency (PHCDA), Hamza Ibrahim Ikara, lamented the havoc the disease had caused in the state.

He particularly identi­fied deformity and mor­tality as the major havoc of the disease.

Ikara who represented the Executive Secretary of PHCDA, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, said that Kadu­na State “lost a lot of chil­dren to measles” in the last few years and “de­spite the efforts by state government, we are still recording reported cases of measles m in some lo­cal government areas.”

He said that the state government through PHCDA has concluded arrangements for the 2017 round of measles’ immunisation campaign starting from October 26.”

Designed to cover the 23 local government areas in the state, Ikara said that the first phase of the campaign e which will cover the North and Kaduna Central is billed for October 26 to Octo­ber 31 while the second phase which is Southern Kaduna is slated for No­vember 2 till November 7.

Ikara described mea­sles as a dangerous dis­ease, stressing it reduces children’s ability to fight other ailments leading to their death and urged parents to ensure that their children are vacci­nated.