Nigeria: Measles - Islamic Scholars Canvass Immunisation

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Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200810020493.html

Daily Trust (Abuja)
2 October 2008
Abdulraheem Aodu
Kaduna

As part of efforts to ensure complete eradication of measles in Kaduna State, Kaduna State Action Committee on Immunisation (SACI) has paid advocacy visits to Islamic scholars in the state ahead of the latest round of immunisation against the deadly disease slated for 19th to 23rd November 2008.

Speaking on the effects of child killer diseases and non-comp-liance to immunisation, the Isla-mic scholars described the atti-tude of some parents towards im-munization as unacceptable in reli-gious circles, and advised them to embrace immunisation against measles and other child killer diseases to protect their children from premature deaths and disabi-lities.

Sheikh Ahmed Mahmud Gumi and Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi made the remarks when SACI and the executive mem-bers of Journalists Against Polio (JAP) paid advocacy visits on them to solicit their supports for the immunisation against measles and polio especially at this particular period of Eid-Mubarak when Muslims are celebrating the end of fasting and Ramadan.

Daily Trust findings revealed that measles, polio and whooping cough are among the prominent child killer diseases reported in the northern parts of the country, which needs urgent atten-tion from all stakeholders.

Speaking in his house, Sheikh Ahmed Mahmud Gumi, who is a medical doctor said in Arab countries where Islam is the dominant religion, immunization is an acceptable activity by all. He therefore enjoined government to always collaborate with religious leaders before introducing in-novations that have direct impact on the people.

The Islamic leader, who attributed escalating cases of polio to misguided utterances from misinformed peo-ple, advised parents to ac-cept the next round of immu-nisation against measles in November to protect their children.

In his own remarks, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi main-tained that the problems asso-ciated with child killer diseases in Nigeria are so enormous that they require proper enligh-tenment from religious leaders for the people to be better informed.

 

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Re: Nigeria: Measles - Islamic Scholars Canvass Immunisation

Source: http://www.triumphnewspapers.com/mensse26112008.html

Mensle: 4,000 children die in Kaduna --WHO

WHO Coordinator in Kaduna State, Dr Musa Emmanuel, has said measles killed some 4,000 children in the state during the year.
Speaking to newsmen in Kaduna during the pre-Measles intergrated campaign, Emmanuel said 800,000 deaths resulting from measles were reported worldwide.
Emmanuel said Nigeria recorded 75 per cent of the death cases in Africa, adding ``its dishearthening.
``We are having the pre-measles integrated campaign against the forthcomming measles immunisation campaign slated for between Nov. 26 and 30 in the 19 Northern States."
He said measles vaccination would prevent children from the other six-killer diseases, adding that ``measles causes brain damage and blindness, which eventual leads to death".
Emmanuel said measles vaccines were for children between the age of nine months and 59 months.
He urged parents to cooperate with the vaccinators by bringing their children out for immunisation to ensure total elimmination of the diseases.
Also speaking to newsmnen, the Head of Red Cross in Kenya, Mr Robert David, said Kaduna state was made the focal point in the forthcomming intergrate measles campaign.
``If there could be continuous immunisation campaign against measles and other child-killer diseases, there is hope of eliminating measles and eradicating polio within the next 12 months," he said.
The wife of the Kaduna state governor, Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo, said the pre-measles integrated campaign was the beginning of the forthcoming measles campaign.
She urged immunisation officials to ensure that accurate doses were given to the children.

 

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Re: Nigeria: Measles - Islamic Scholars Canvass Immunisation

Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-11-25-voa67.cfm

Nigeria to Immunize 30 Million Children Against Polio, Measles
By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
25 November 2008

da Costa report - Download (MP3) audio clip
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Some 30 million children in Nigeria are to be vaccinated against polio and measles during an integrated immunization campaign set to begin in the northern states on Wednesday. The drive is led by the country's health ministry, with financial and technical support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other partners. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa filed this report from Abuja.

For five days 200,000 health workers will be stationed at 33,000 schools throughout northern Nigeria to administer oral polio drops and measles vaccines to millions of children under the age of five in a new drive to eradicate the two diseases.

Polio cases have more than doubled this year in Nigeria as health officials struggle to fight various natural strains of the virus as well as outbreaks set off by the polio vaccine itself three years ago.

Kano, in northern Nigeria, has been the epicenter for the transmission of the crippling polio virus to other parts of the world since 2003 when the authorities suspended polio immunization for 13 months.

The suspension followed claims by radical Muslim clerics and some medical doctors that the vaccine was laced with substances that could render girls infertile as part of a U.S.-led Western plot to depopulate Africa.

Dr. Lola Mabogunje, regional field activity director for non-governmental Community Participation for Action in the Social Sector polio project in Kano, says immunization is now
gaining strong support in the region.

"There is an upsurge by WHO [World Health Organization], people are asking why the upsurge? But I can tell you the communities are now renewed. Every mosque now, on Friday they announce the importance of immunization, which is quite impressive. At every naming ceremony they do the announcement and actually pray for eradication of polio. If prayers are offered that polio eradication should succeed that is a new vigor," she said.

In addition to polio and measles vaccines, the children will be given a dose of vitamin A and insecticide treated bed nets. The Nigerian government paid for the vaccines as well as half of the operational cost of about $20 million.

A measles outbreak in the north has killed hundreds of children in the past few months. Health experts blame the outbreak on parents' failure to take their children for routine immunization.

The second phase of the nationwide campaign is scheduled for the southern region in December.