The Lagos State Government is set to begin a vaccination campaign on Saturday, targeting over 18 million residents as part of its Non-Polio Supplemental Immunisation initiative. 

This immunisation effort, conducted in collaboration with UNICEF, is scheduled to take place on October 19 across all 57 Local Government Development Agencies (LCDAs) in the state. 

During a Media Orientation on Non-Polio Supplemental Immunisation Activities (Integrated Yellow Fever) held on Monday in Lagos, Dr. Abimbola Bowale, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, stated that 85 percent of residents aged between 9 months and 44 years will receive yellow fever booster doses. 

Additionally, the vaccination program will include measles vaccines for children aged 9 to 18 months, HPV vaccines for those aged 9 to 14 years to protect against cervical cancer, as well as polio and other routine immunisations.

“The goal is to achieve herd immunity and the only way to do so is to ensure that at least 95 per cent of the eligible population receive the measles vaccine and 80 per cent of the eligible population receive the yellow fever vaccine.

“Vaccination is safe and vaccination can ensure that we prevent a lot of preventable diseases from maiming and killing our people. We are looking at about 95 per cent coverage of the population of Lagos.

“I implore you to harness your platforms to amplify our message. Informing the public about the benefits of these supplemental immunizations and the safety protocols can significantly boost participation and trust in these health initiatives. Together, let us ensure that no child is left behind, that every mother is reassured, and that every community understands the indispensable value of these immunisation efforts.”

The Immunisation Programme Coordinator for Lagos, Dr. Akinpelu Adetola, emphasized the importance of the state-wide immunisation campaign, citing multiple outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, yellow fever, diphtheria, and the recent cholera, over the last two to three years. 

He noted that these outbreaks indicate a significant immunity gap within the community. To address this issue, he advocated for a comprehensive immunisation initiative across the state, alongside an enhancement of the routine immunisation processes.

“For yellow fever, we’re supposed to vaccinate 85 per cent of everyone in the state and that gives us roughly about 21 million-plus people. Yellow fever is an injectable, we need to have qualified healthcare workers who can provide these vaccines.