Benue targets two million children in statewide vaccination drive

By Benedicta Aboh

Benue State has commenced a comprehensive, statewide vaccination exercise targeting more than two million children aged 0-59 months as part of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) and the December round of the Supplementary Immunisation Plus Days (SIPDs).

The Executive Secretary of the Benue State Primary Health Care Board (BSPHCB), Mrs. Grace Wende, made this known during a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitisation meeting in Makurdi. She said the campaign was being executed in partnership with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and development partners.

Represented by the State Health Educator, Dr. Philip Toryue, Mrs. Wende explained that the integrated exercise began on Saturday, December 6, and will run until December 10, 2025, with mop-up activities scheduled for December 11 and 12.

“We are integrating the Supplementary Immunisation Plus Days with the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week. This means children will receive polio vaccines, other routine antigens, Vitamin A supplementation, and deworming, while pregnant and breastfeeding women will get Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS)," ” she said.

The Executive Secretary noted that multiple specialised teams had been deployed statewide to reach every settlement, including those in difficult terrains.

“We have house-to-house teams, mobile teams, special teams for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and others assigned to hard-to-reach and security-compromised areas,” she explained. “In addition, fixed-post teams will be stationed across all 276 Primary Healthcare Centres in the state.”

Mrs. Wende assured that logistics and security arrangements were firmly in place to guarantee full coverage.

“So I can assure you that no community will be left out in the exercise,” she said, urging parents and caregivers to make their children available for vaccination. She also emphasized that all services provided during the campaign are free of charge.

Also speaking, the State Focal Person of the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development, Mr. Abraham Iusa, said his organisation was working closely with traditional rulers to strengthen community engagement and acceptance.

“We are partnering with our traditional institutions to ensure there is no rejection,” he stated. “The goal is to make sure every targeted child receives the vaccines.”

Other partners and stakeholders who spoke at the meeting gave their commitments to ensuring that set targets were met and that the exercise recorded resounding success in the state.