Health Minister Flags off Immunization Campaign.

Mother Theresa Children’s Home located in Gwarinpa Abuja played host to the Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin yesterday in Abuja when the Minister visited the home to kick off May/June 2009 Immunization Day Plus (IPD) exercise.

The second phase of the Immunization Plus Day is coming on the heel of the first one that recorded significant record of coverage as the areas that were considered as non receptive have fully embraced the immunization initiative. It will be recalled that Nigeria has implemented six rounds of Supplemental Immunization Campaigns, three of which have been national achieving 90% increase to 627 from 550 coverage of July 2008 of the 774 Local Governments Areas, thus leading to significant decline in the number of unvaccinated children.

Osotimehin, while immunizing the children at the home praised the management of the home for their excellent practices in hygiene and proper care of the children and promised Government supports to the running of the home which he described as a selfless model for other homes. “The babies are very healthy, the home is well managed and the sanitation level is very high and encouraging, it is therefore our duty to ensure government’s supports for the orphanage.” he added.

The director of the Mother Theresa Children Home, Yeye Bolanle Dare thanked the minister for choosing the home to flag off the Immunization Plus Day exercise and assured the minister of the home continuous and proper care for the children.

The minister informed journalists that this phase of the campaign is to follow the dramatic improvement in population immunity registered in Kano state where for the first time ever, the children never vaccinated, reduced to less than 20%. The campaign which is to cover all the Local Government Areas in Nigeria would last for one week.