During a stakeholders’ meeting at the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) in Benin City, the Edo State Director of Immunization and Disease Control, Dr. Eseigbe Efeomon, provided the following information: The “Big Catchup” vaccination exercise is focused on intensification, where children of the target ages between zero and 59 months will receive vaccinations that they missed during previous routine immunization exercises.
The Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (EDPHCDA), acting under the Edo State Government’s auspices, in partnership with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), UNICEF, and other partners, has finalized plans to implement the first round of the Routine Immunization Intensification exercise in the State from January 6–11, 2025.
Dr. Eseigbe explained that the exercise was based on data from 2024 that was kept with NPHCDA. This data showed that a sizable portion of the target age group’s children had either missed prior routine immunization sessions or had not received any vaccinations due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, insurgency, and other factors.
He asked interested parties to support the state government’s efforts to protect children in the state from avoidable fatal diseases, particularly in areas that are difficult to access, by influencing parents and caregivers. He revealed that, in contrast to some states that have three or four local government areas (LGAs) planned for coverage, Edo is one of the states with broad coverage of almost all of its LGAs.
Ighodaro Lawani Osawe, the Zonal Technical Officer of NPHCDA, stressed that the cooperation of stakeholders has been a key factor in the success of immunization campaigns while advising them to use all available channels to spread knowledge about the safety and necessity of vaccines. He praised the religious organizations, civil society organizations, and traditional institutions, among others, and urged them to spread the word about the advantages of vaccination.
Healthy adults in society are the consequence of the same safe vaccinations they had as children, according to Mrs. Irene Uabor, the EDPHCDA Health Education Officer. She warned that due to inadequate or missing immunizations, there have been cases of the recurrence of some fatal vaccine-preventable diseases that were previously believed to have been eradicated.
Uabor assured of the Agency’s preparedness to take the vaccinations to every eligible child across the State with the execution of trained Health workers. She counseled the public to refrain from rumors and disinformation spread by mongers, maintaining that the vaccines are safe, effective, and are given free of charge. She concluded that parents, and caregivers, should endeavour to grant access or present their children for vaccination alongside their vaccination cards; at home or at their nearest Primary Health Centre across the State.
Stakeholders in attendance include Local Health Education Officers, representatives from the Traditional councils, Religious heads, Education, Media, Unions, CSOs, and NGOs, amongst others.
