Kwara unveils Measles-Rubella vaccine to curb deaths, defects

The Kwara State Government has vowed to flag off the nationwide rollout of the new combined Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine to halt early childhood deaths and congenital birth defects among pregnant women.

It is gathered from the state’s health officials that this rollout, which is scheduled for October 9, is crucial in preventing this rising health challenge among women and children.

The Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Prof. Nusirat Elelu, said on Wednesday that unlike the old single measles shot, the new vaccine protects against both measles and rubella commonly known as German measles which can cause irreversible conditions such as deafness, blindness, and heart defects in babies if contracted during pregnancy.

“This vaccine is very important. Previously, we only gave measles vaccine at nine and 15 months, but we were still leaving children and mothers exposed to rubella,” Elelu said.

Rubella may look like a mild form of measles, but when contracted in pregnancy, it can lead to congenital Rubella syndrome, which causes lifelong disabilities for unborn children.

“That is why Nigeria has decided to introduce the combined measles-rubella vaccine into our routine immunisation system.”

Our correspondent reports that the national rollout will be flagged off by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on October 6, while Kwara’s launch will be performed by the state’s First Lady on October 9, targeting children aged nine months to 14 years in a catch-up campaign.

Elelu disclosed that the state had already taken delivery of the vaccines, completed the national training, and was now training local health teams to ensure full coverage, including hard-to-reach areas.

We are prepared. Sensitisation has started, and we have reached out to traditional rulers, religious leaders, schools, and the media. Beyond that, we are also organising community events like a novelty football match on October 8 to create awareness,” she said.

further gathered that the rollout comes amid the state’s ongoing renovation of primary healthcare centres.

Elelu explained that more than 100 PHCs were being rehabilitated through state funding and partnerships with the World Bank IMPACT project, UNICEF, and the Global Fund.

“So far, over 70 PHCs are earmarked for renovation across the 16 LGAs. Our strategy is to ensure at least one fully functional PHC per political ward,” she said, adding that Kwara had consistently met its counterpart funding obligations for health programmes in the past five years.

Health experts have repeatedly linked weak infrastructure and low vaccine uptake to Nigeria’s high child mortality rates, even as Elelu expressed optimism that the state’s investments in PHCs and vaccines would improve outcomes.

She also appealed to the media and the public to help counter vaccine misinformation, which she described as a major threat to immunisation success.

Every time misinformation wins, a life is lost. That is why we use bottom-up community engagement and media advocacy to push correct information. We must not sensationalise bad information. We must give people facts so they can make informed health decisions,” she advised the media.