The Federal Government will officially flag off a nationwide integrated campaign to scale up protection against certain diseases from October 6.
The campaign targets more awareness on Measles, Rubella, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and polio, while strengthening routine immunisation and tackling Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), on Thursday in Abuja.
Dr. Aina said the event, which would be hosted by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, is being organised by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) through the NPHCDA.
He also said that Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (CON), First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, would serve as the Special Guest of Honour at the ceremony.
Aina further said the campaign is expected to reach millions of children and adolescents across the country with life-saving vaccines.
He said the campaign is also aimed at expanding access to interventions for NTDs such as river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminths.
He said integrating these interventions would reduce duplication of efforts, optimise resources, and increase coverage, particularly in underserved rural and hard-to-reach communities.
He said the integrated approach reflected government’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and reducing preventable illnesses that continued to place a heavy burden on Nigerian families and the health system.
He explained that introducing the HPV vaccine on a national scale is a major milestone in safeguarding adolescent girls against cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among Nigerian women.
“The campaign will also strengthen Nigeria’s efforts to keep polio at bay after being certified wild polio-free in 2020, as well as boost measles and rubella elimination goals,” he said.
He emphasised that all vaccines being administered are safe, effective and free, urging parents and caregivers to ensure their children are immunised at designated centres across the country.
“The exercise will also serve as a reminder of the importance of routine immunisation, which remains one of the most cost-effective public health interventions worldwide,” he said.
Nigeria continues to face challenges such as low immunisation uptake in some regions, vaccine misinformation, and barriers to access.
The integrated campaign is seen as a major opportunity to close gaps, protect the vulnerable, and strengthen confidence in the health system.
NAN
