Zamfara targets over 10,000 settlements for vaccination

The Wife of the Zamfara State Governor, Hajiya Huriyya Dauda Lawal, has announced that more than 10,000 settlements across the state will be reached in an integrated vaccination campaign against measles, rubella, and polio.
She made this known during a media dialogue in Gusau on the forthcoming Measles and Rubella Integrated Campaign, supported by UNICEF.
Represented by the Executive Secretary of the Zamfara State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Yakubu Hussaini Anka, Hajiya Huriyya explained that the initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s new strategy to combine measles and rubella vaccines under the national immunization schedule.
“This campaign will not only target measles and rubella, but also polio and the human papillomavirus (HPV), which focuses on girls aged 9 to 14 years,” she said.
She revealed that over 1,280 vaccination teams have been mobilized across the state’s 14 local government areas, covering 147 wards, 724 primary healthcare centers, and 23 secondary health facilities. Each team will include vaccinators, recorders, and health educators tasked with both administering vaccines and sensitizing communities.
The campaign will be conducted in schools, health facilities, homes, playgrounds, and other public spaces. Meanwhile, mobile teams will reach children in hard-to-reach areas to ensure that no child is left behind.
Hajiya Huriyya urged religious and traditional leaders to support the campaign by sensitizing their communities, stressing the dangers of rubella, which can lead to miscarriages or birth defects in pregnant women.
She also appealed to journalists to help disseminate information about the campaign to achieve maximum impact.
The First Lady reaffirmed the Zamfara State Government’s commitment to strengthening immunization coverage, noting that the campaign is a multi-sectoral effort involving WHO, UNICEF, the Sultan Foundation, Solina Group, eHealth, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Zamfara targets over 10,000 settlements for vaccination - FRCN HQ