About 1,437 children have been affected by measles in Bida Council of Niger State, leaving 18 dead in eight months.
UNICEF Measles Consultant, Abari Hassan Musa, gave the hint during a meeting with stakeholders from the media and education sector on their roles in the campaign against measles in Minna, on Monday.
He said: “Records obtained from Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Bida indicated that out of about 1,347 children affected by measles,18 died between January and August 2022, the figure is disturbing.”
According to Abari, Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, in collaboration with UNICEF, has concluded arrangements to commence a campaign against measles, targeting 1,146,572 children for vaccination.
The first phase of the campaign, he said, would commence on October 31.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the health sector.
Chairman of, the Ondo State chapter of NMA Dr. Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, made the appeal, yesterday, in Akure while addressing newsmen as part of activities marking the 2022 Physician’s Week.
