Kebbi govs wife commends women over support for measles vaccination

By Paul Efiong

Wife of Kebbi State Governor and Founder, Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu, has commended women in the state for their mobilization towards ensuring compliance and success of the measles vaccination campaign in the state .
A statement from the foundation Sunday said she stated this while flagging off the campaign in the state alongside her husband, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu in Bagudo Local government area of the state.
The measles vaccination exercise is for children from nine months to five years.
The statement said Dr Zainab Bagudu who worked with wives of local government chairmen to reach the grassroots said the active mobilization of women resulted in the state requesting for more vaccines.
She said although routine immunization coverage remains abysmally low in the state at 11.3%, an improvement was expected with from the efforts of the state government and the women, adding that the state also set up Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination Center.
Governor Atiku Bagudu said Bagudo Local government was chosen because it was vast, it has hard to reach areas and was a border town with Cotonou in Benin republic.
He said emphasis was being placed on hard to reach towns in local government areas such as Fakai, Danko Wasagu, Zuru and Bagudo adding that the state promptly paid its counterpart funding of 23Million Naira for the campaign.
He said others include repair of 74 Solar Fridges to strengthen cold chain system across the state, adequate vaccine availability central in state store/cold room, provision of motor bikes by saving one million lives program to access hard to reach areas as well as advocacy by chairmen of local government areas and their wives, traditional and religious leaders among others.