Calabar: The Cross River Government has reiterated its commitment to eliminating measles-rubella in the state. Dr. Vivien Otu, Director-General of the Cross River Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA), gave the assurance during the ongoing Measles-Rubella (MR) Integrated Campaign Phase 2.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the agency has already vaccinated over 70 percent of its target, reaching children through schools, churches, and community centers. Dr. Otu emphasized that the introduction of the measles-rubella vaccine is a significant step, noting its potential to drastically reduce rubella cases and aiming for eradication in the state. She highlighted the devastating effects of congenital rubella syndrome when pregnant women are infected.
As of Monday, more than 1.48 million children have been vaccinated, representing 76 percent coverage according to e-Tally data, while call-in reports recorded 1.28 million children vaccinated, accounting for 64 percent coverage. The daily settlement reached exceeded plans, with 5,720 settlements covered out of 5,122 planned. The campaign includes supportive supervision to ensure the quality and safety of vaccinations, with 5,535 supervisory visits conducted across all 18 LGAs.
Moreover, agencies such as CDC, AFENET, CORE Group, and others have contributed to supervision, training, and monitoring in the field. The supervisory outcomes indicated high compliance and preparedness, with 99 percent of teams having the Daily Immunisation Plan available. Dr. Otu urged parents and caregivers to ensure children within the target age group are vaccinated.
Mr. Francis Fatoye, PHC Performance Management Lead at Solina Centre for International Development and Research (SCIDaR), attributed Calabar’s success to the daily use of evidence to guide action, reviewing data each day to identify areas of non-compliance. This evidence-based approach informed operational decisions, including maintaining the vaccine cold chain before team deployment.
Mrs. Goodness Hadley from the Johns Hopkins International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC) highlighted the importance of continuous communication and grassroots engagement in strengthening vaccine acceptance. IVAC supported ongoing advocacy and efforts to resolve non-compliance cases to improve uptake of the Measles-Rubella vaccine.
The campaign is part of Nigeria’s large-scale vaccination drive, aiming to protect 106 million children against measles, rubella, and polio. The campaign targets children aged zero to 14 years for measles-rubella and zero to 59 months for polio, delivered through various points and house-to-house teams. A new combined measles-rubella vaccine will replace the measles-only version, with preparations including training, upgraded payment systems, and improved data management to ensure efficiency and accountability.