The wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs. Tamunominini Makinde, has urged parents and guardians to embrace measles and rubella vaccines to stem childhood diseases.
The governor’s wife made the call on Tuesday while flagging off a sensitisation programme on measles and rubella vaccination at the Local Government Training Centre, Ibadan.
Makinde, accompanied by wives of the state’s 33 local government chairmen, female government functionaries and other stakeholders, called for deliberate actions to prevent diseases associated with children.
She charged community heads, religious leaders, health workers, and other stakeholders to support government efforts in creating widespread awareness across the state.
According to her, the programme aligns with the Renewed Hope Initiative of the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor’s wife later led the stakeholders with fanfare to the office of Gov. Seyi Makinde.
Addressing the stakeholders, the governor assured them of his administration’s support toward the eradication of measles and rubella in the state.
He encouraged parents to cooperate with the field workers administering the vaccines.
Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, said measles and rubella, though vaccine-preventable diseases, were still claiming children’s lives in low and middle-income countries, despite global progress.
Ajetunmobi emphasised that measles remained one of the leading causes of death among young children globally, “Even though safe and cost-effective vaccines had existed since the 1960s.”
She added that rubella, though very mild in children, has devastating consequences when contracted by pregnant women.
“Our resolve as government is clear: that no child in Oyo State should suffer or die from vaccine-preventable diseases. The measles/rubella vaccine campaign is targeting children from nine months old to 15 years across all the 33 local government areas of the state,” said the commissioner.
She said the flag-off was more than a ceremony but a call to action for parents, caregivers, community leaders, health workers, and traditional and religious authorities to support the life-saving intervention.
