Delta begins vaccination against yellow fever outbreak

Delta State government on Thursday flagged off its year 2020 yellow fever mass vaccination campaign, with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa calling on the people of the state to make themselves for the vaccination as well as keep clean environment.

According to Okowa, vaccination and clean environment are factors necessary in checking the outbreak of yellow fever.

At the flag-off of the exercise in Asaba, the state capital, Okowa said the objective was to increase population immunity to yellow fever thereby reducing the risk of transmission of the disease in communities.

According to him, the fight against yellow fever and other vaccine-preventable diseases requires collective efforts of individuals, households, health workers and community-based organisations to ensure prevention, control and surveillance.

The governor said the health of the people was important and assured that the government would remain committed to funding the health needs of the people.

“This campaign is a strategy aimed at sensitising and vaccinating individuals aged nine months to 44 years with the yellow fever vaccine thus conferring lifelong immunity on the recipients.

“Vector control and environmental surveillance for the Aedes mosquito constitute critical pillars for sustainable prevention and control of the disease, in addition to routine immunization.

“So, I want to use this opportunity to encourage all our people to be vaccinated because it increases immunised population. Elimination of breeding sites such as uncovered water jars, old tins, bottles, among others, in addition to clearing surrounding bushes and avoiding mosquito bites through the use of nets and appropriate insect repellants, will enable us to contain the breeding of mosquitoes in our environment,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the state commissioner for health, Mordi Ononye, described yellow fever as an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes, adding that symptoms of the disease included fever, headache, jaundice, muscle pains, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

Ononye said the threat of yellow fever loomed larger than ever before, especially for thousands of children across the state and the country, pointing out that the ease and speed of population movement, rapid urbanisation and resurgence of mosquitoes due to global warming had significantly increased the risk of urban outbreaks at an alarming rate.

He lauded Governor Okowa for facilitating the prompt response to the outbreak of the disease in Ika North East local government area of the state by providing the needed resources and enabling environment.