The wife of the Oyo State governor, Tamunominini Makinde, on Thursday, flagged off the integrated measles-rubella, oral polio, human papillomavirus (HPV), routine immunisation, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) vaccination campaign in Oyo.

Mrs Makinde, represented by the chairman of the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Dada Awoleye, said at the launch on Thursday that the state, under the current administration, had been cooperating with programmes of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other development partners.

She said this had contributed to the state’s participation in the first phase of the vaccination.

Mrs Makinde urged parents and guardians to release their wards who fall within the specified age bracket to take full advantage of the free vaccination campaign.

“We are committed and have put everything in place to achieve 100 per cent coverage. We want to encourage parents and guardians to embrace this campaign and allow their wards to take the vaccination,” she said.

Also, the Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, noted that measles and rubella remained serious vaccine-preventable diseases that continue to threaten the lives of children, especially in communities with low immunisation coverage.

According to her, measles is one of the most contagious diseases capable of causing severe complications such as pneumonia, diarrhea, blindness, and even death.

“Our goal in Oyo State is to ensure no child is left behind and that every eligible child aged nine months to 59 months receives the measles-rubella vaccine during this campaign.

“The 2025 Integrated MR Campaign is designed to strengthen our routine immunization system while delivering other essential child health interventions,” the governor’s wife said.

Mr Makinde said the state will mobilise health workers at vaccination posts such as schools, markets, worship centres, and community gathering points.

“We are integrating other key health interventions such as vitamin A supplementation, deworming, and health education to maximise the impact of this campaign.

“We sincerely appreciate our development partners, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and all supporting organisations for their technical and financial assistance in planning, training, and supervision of this campaign,” she said.

Also, the health specialist at UNICEF Lagos, Ijeoma Agbo, commended the governor’s unwavering commitment to the well-being of every child in Oyo State.

“UNICEF is proud to be part of this collective effort, supporting the Oyo State Government and partners through vaccine logistics, cold chain operations, waste management, and, most importantly, social and behaviour change communication because, beyond vaccines, we must ensure communities understand, trust, and embrace these life-saving vaccines.

“We remain steadfast in our partnership to support the state in building resilient systems that protect every child, everywhere, every time,” she said.

(NAN)