Bukola Afeni
Editor
Nigerians have been advised to go for yellow fever immunization to prevent its spread in the country.
The Chief Medical Director, National Obsteric Fistula Centre in Ebonyi, Professor Johnson Obuna stated this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria.
He charged Nigerians to take yellow fever immunization very important, as it is a viral infection, which is better not contracted.
“An immunized person could stay up to 10 years against the yellow fever. There is no need to panic if you have never been immunized. Our problem is that we do not plan well. Yellow Fever is one of the public health issues that can be easily prevented, if we adhere strictly to immunization. The disease can be nipped in the bud, if preventive measures are taken”.
Obuna added that Yellow fever is prevalent during the dry season, when communicable diseases are on the increase.
A resident of Abakaliki, Mrs Sharon Okereke, urged the federal and state governments to intensify efforts on campaign in the rural areas.
“The outbreak of yellow fever has occurred in Enugu State. I have taken my time to go for the immunization, so as to prevent myself from the disease. We are hoping that the disease will not spread to Ebonyi state, which is a neighboring state
Recall that the Government of Nigeria with support from the World Health Organization, GAVI and the Vaccine Alliance relaunched an accelerated series of mass preventive vaccination campaign to almost 30 million Nigerians against Yellow Fever in October 2020.
The accelerated Yellow Fever campaign phase 4 targeted more than 30 million people in 7 states
Subsequently, other yellow fever vaccination efforts will take place between 2021 and 2022, which will target more than 95 million persons, as part of the push to eliminate Yellow Fever epidemics.
