The Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, in collaboration with development partners, has commenced the second round of routine immunisation of 238,000 children across the state.

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Nusirat Elelu, made this known on Tuesday in Ilorin while speaking at the start of the Local Immunisation Plus Days.

Ms Elelu said the routine immunisation intensification targeted about 160,000 children, while the Big Catch Up campaign targeted about 78,000 children in the state.

She explained that the Local Immunisation Plus Days and the Big Catch Up were being implemented to ramp up immunisation coverage in Kwara.

According to her, this is expected to target and rapidly decrease zero-dose and partially immunised children, which will increase population immunity through vaccinations.

Ms Elelu stated that the immunisation would help strengthen and scale up health services, particularly for hard-to-reach, underserved and zero-dose children.

She said, “The exercise comprises the second round of the Big Catch-up vaccination campaigns planned for Ifelodun, Baruten and Ilorin East Local Government Areas, which started February 10. “The Local Immunisation Plus Days is planned for implementation in the remaining 13 local governments, which commenced today and will continue till February 16. Immunisation is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions of all time. It has prevented millions of deaths and ill health every year, thus reducing morbidity and mortality across the world in a safe and cost-effective manner.

“The intensification will adopt an integrated approach because the combination of vaccines with other health interventions, such as vitamin A supplementation, helps to reduce the likelihood of children dying from most of the childhood killer diseases.’’

Ms Elelu commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his enormous support to the agency, and said he demonstrated firm belief and commitment to both routine and supplemental immunisation.

The executive secretary observed that the government also provided an enabling environment, as well as funds for the implementation of immunisation campaigns.

She pointed out that the support given to the agency in 2024 had enabled the health workers to penetrate underserved and hard-to-reach areas for immunisation and other essential health services.

Ms Elelu called on all stakeholders and service providers, community leaders, especially fathers, mothers and other caregivers, to ensure that their children were immunised during the exercise.

She pledged continuous collaboration of the state with development partners such as the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Bank to ensure adequate health care service delivery in the state.

(NAN)