Warri- Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has identified vaccination and clean environment as factors necessary in checking the outbreak of yellow fever.
Okowa made this known on Thursday at the flag-off of preventive yellow fever mass vaccination campaign in Delta at the Events Centre, Asaba.
He said that the objective of the vaccination was to increase population immunity (herd immunity) to yellow fever thereby reducing the risk of transmission of the disease in communities.
He stated that poor community and environmental hygiene) practices were risk factors for the yellow fever disease.
According to him, the fight against it and other vaccine-preventable diseases requires enormous collective efforts of individuals, households, health workers and various Community-Based Organizations to ensure its prevention, control and surveillance.
The governor said that the health of the people was important to the government and assured that the government would remain committed to funding the health needs of the people.
“This campaign is a strategy aimed at sensitizing and vaccinating individuals aged nine months to 44 years with the Yellow Fever vaccine thus conferring lifelong immunity on the recipients.”
“Vector control and environmental surveillance for the Aedes mosquito constitute critical pillars for sustainable prevention and control of the disease, in addition to routine immunization.”
“So, I want to use this opportunity to encourage all our people to be vaccinated because it increases immunised population.”
“Elimination of breeding sites such as uncovered water jars, old tins, bottles, among others, in addition to clearing surrounding bushes and avoiding mosquito bites through the use of nets and appropriate insect repellants, will enable us to contain the breeding of mosquitoes in our environment,” he said.
He admonished Deltans to take responsibility for their personal and communal-health while supporting government initiatives, interventions and programmes to achieve optimal health in line with his administration’s determination to achieve Universal Health Coverage through the stronger Delta agenda.
Okowa appealed to traditional rulers and political leaders across board to ensure that the people were mobilised to limit outbreak in the future.
