Media practitioners across Southern Nigeria have been urged to step up public awareness efforts and tackle misinformation as the Federal Government rolls out the second phase of the Nationwide Integrated Measles-Rubella and Polio Vaccination Campaign.
The call was made during a virtual media engagement organised by the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCS) in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The event brought together broadcasters, journalists and digital content creators from across Southern Nigeria, positioning them as key partners in the campaign aimed at vaccinating children aged 0–14 years against measles and rubella, and children aged 0–59 months against polio.
UNICEF Communication Officer for the Enugu Field Office, Dr Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, described the introduction of the new vaccine as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s immunisation programme. She emphasised that the media’s role is critical in raising public awareness and ensuring the campaign’s success.
Participants at the media engagement highlighted the importance of harmonised messaging, real-time digital engagement and continuous feedback mechanisms. They noted that effective communication is essential to achieving high vaccine uptake and ensuring broad coverage across communities.
In a separate but related development, the Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, has appealed to local government chairmen for support ahead of the measles-rubella vaccination drive in the state.
Obidike made the plea on Saturday in Awka during a stakeholders’ meeting with the 21 council chairmen. The campaign is scheduled to run from February 4 to 15 and targets eligible children aged nine months to 14 years in schools across the state.
The commissioner stressed that cooperation from local councils and schools is critical to reaching every eligible child and protecting them from vaccine-preventable diseases, urging stakeholders to ensure the smooth implementation of the immunisation exercise.