Akwa Ibom State has recorded a major milestone in the ongoing nationwide Measles–Rubella immunisation exercise, with official data showing that 1.29 million children have been vaccinated within the first six days of the campaign.

The figure was released by the Akwa Ibom State Government as part of updates on the mass immunisation drive aimed at protecting children against measles and rubella—two highly contagious viral diseases that continue to pose serious public health risks in Nigeria, particularly among unvaccinated children.

According to the data, the vaccination coverage was achieved as of 12 noon on Day 6 of the campaign, which commenced last Wednesday in the state. The information was shared on Monday by the Commissioner for Health, Ekem Emmanuel, via his verified Facebook page.

The commissioner explained that the immunisation exercise is being coordinated by the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health through the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, with the full backing of Governor Umo Eno. He added that data collation from vaccination teams across the state was still ongoing, noting that not all figures for the day had been completely uploaded or disaggregated at the time of the update.

Despite this, preliminary aggregated data already indicates strong performance across all 31 local government areas of the state. While the commissioner stated that “over 1.3 million children” had been vaccinated, the accompanying data showed a total of 1.29 million children reached within the reporting period.

Nigeria periodically conducts mass immunisation campaigns to close immunity gaps, reduce the number of so-called “zero-dose” children who have never received routine vaccines, and align with national and global public health targets. The current Measles–Rubella campaign forms part of these broader efforts to curb preventable childhood illnesses and deaths.

The health commissioner acknowledged the contributions of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Frank Archibong, the leadership of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, and council chairpersons, while singling out frontline health workers as the driving force behind the campaign’s success.

Reaffirming the state government’s commitment, Emmanuel said Akwa Ibom is determined to ensure that no eligible child is missed during the exercise and to eliminate deaths arising from vaccine-preventable diseases.

“Our commitment is clear that no Akwa Ibom child should ever die from a vaccine-preventable illness,” he stated.