Yellow Fever vaccination: Enugu State govt. targets additional 710,149 residents
The Enugu State Government has extended its yellow fever vaccination to three more Local Government Areas, targeting additional 710,149 residents.
Dr George Ugwu, Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu on Thursday.
Ugwu said that the new council areas being covered are Uzo Uwani, Nkanu East and Enugu East.
The executive secretary said that the vaccination in the three areas started on Jan. 9 and would run till Jan. 18.
He urged residents to visit Primary Healthcare Centres, other health facilities and the special designated places in the local government areas where those between the ages of nine months and 44 years would get vaccinated free-of-charge.
According to him, nine council areas have so far been covered, and it would soon extend to all other areas in the state to ensure that people are well protected from the disease.
“To really stamp out yellow fever and see that it does not re-cur in the state, we discussed and got approval from our partners, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, WHO, UNICEF as well as other international and local partners.
“With their approval and guide, we have started continued massive reactive yellow fever vaccination in three council areas in the state.
“We have so far covered nine council areas, where every eligible person that presented themselves at our vaccinating centres has been vaccinated against yellow fever.
“Apart from the new three council areas; we have done five days catch-up (mop-up) for the initial six council areas covered and enhanced public enlightenment on the benefit and need of the vaccines in order to ensure no single person was left out.
“We believe that it will not be long, as we envisage that the entire state will be vaccinated against yellow fever,’’ he said.
Ugwu said that for the nine council areas, there was a total target of 2,320,516 residents of the state.
He said, “For the six council areas already covered, we have 210, 517 residents of Udenu council area vaccinated, representing 92 per cent of the target for the council area.
“We have 247,474 residents, representing 92 per cent of the target population in Igbo-Etiti; and 181,520 residents, representing 96 per cent of the target population of Igboeze South council area.
“We have 320,036 residents, representing 96 per cent of the target population in Igboeze North; 147,945 residents, representing 78 per cent of the target population in Isi-Uzo and 310,660 residents, representing 78 per cent of the target population in Nsukka’’.
