The Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB), in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, will flag off its Rotavirus Vaccination Programme for children between the ages of six weeks to 14 weeks at the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area on Friday, 25th November 2022 under the routine immunisation programme.
A statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of LSPHCB, Dr. Ibrahim Mustafa said that following the recent sensitisation forum organised for relevant stakeholders, community leaders and influencers, the participants are expected to cascade the information about the immunisation programme downwards to residents of their various communities.
He explained that the programme is targeted at children due to the fact that the disease is usually common among infants, but noted, however, that adults too have the opportunity to receive COVID-19 vaccination during the exercise.
According to him, Oshodi, the venue of the flag-off, was particularly selected because of the large infant population within the Local Government Area while the programme would also be extended to other Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas of the State.
The Permanent Secretary stated that before the intervention by the Federal Government of Nigeria, only private health facilities administer the rotavirus vaccine at a fee but with this intervention, the oral vaccine would be given free of charge to infants between six and 14 weeks old at all government public health centres, while the private healthcare facilities would continue to also provide the immunisation at a fee.
Dr. Mustafa, therefore, enjoined nursing mothers to use the opportunity to ensure that their children are immunised against the diarrhoea disease caused by rotavirus at all the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Centres across the State to prevent mortalities from the disease.
