BENIN CITY – Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole will officially launch the use of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) today, Friday July 24, 2015 in the state.
The inactivated polio vaccine was recently introduced into the country’s Immunization Schedule.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Aihanuwa Eregie disclosed this yesterday during a state-wide broadcast to educate parents, pregnant women and care givers to take their children under five years to the nearest health centre during the 1st round of the year 2015 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week ((MNCHW) exercise commencing in the state on Monday next week till Friday July 31, 2015.
Commissioner Eregie explained that, the MNCHW is a weeklong activity designed to save and promote the lives of mothers, newborn and children, adding that it is also one of the strategies to scale up cost effective interventions needed to strengthen Nigeria’s Health System at all levels.
According to her, “These interventions are vital to Nigeria’s effort at meeting the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which targets the reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality.”
Dr. Eregie explained that, the inactivated polio vaccine is an injectable vaccine used to prevent poliomyelitis, emphasizing that, the vaccine is used in conjunction with the oral polio vaccine.
She disclosed that a single injection is given at 14 weeks, but children below one year that did not have the opportunity to be given at 14 weeks can still benefit from it.
The IPV, according to her is safe and good for children and would be available in all health facilities rendering routine immunization in the state.
She stated further that, the interventions to be administered freely during the MNCHW in the state include. Immunization services, giving of deworming medicines, tetanus toxoid to pregnant women, vitamin A supplementation to children from six to 59 months, family planning services health education on exclusive breast feeding, ante-natal care and elimination of mother to child transmission on HIV/AIDS amongst others.
Disclosing that the state recorded 82 per cent coverage for vitamin A supplementation in previous MNCHW exercise, conducted in November 2014, she said it can be sustained and improved upon.
Dr. Eregie stated that the State Government, through her ministry has continued to implement programmes in the 18 Local Government Areas of the state aimed at improving the well-being of mother and children in the state.