The Deputy Governor of Osun, Mr Benedict Alabi, says the state government has approved the release of N28 million counterpart fund for yellow fever vaccination campaign in the state.
Alabi made the disclosure during an advocacy visit to his office by members of the State Primary Health Care Development Board and other development partners working on various haemorrhagic diseases in Africa.
The deputy governor, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olaniyi Ajibola, on Saturday in Osogbo, expressed government’s readiness to give necessary support to every initiative tailored towards eradicating killer diseases in the state.
He assured that the counterpart fund, as approved by Gov. Gboyega Oyetola, would be released immediately for vaccination.
According to him, vaccination is the most important means of preventing yellow fever, adding “yellow fever vaccine is safe and a single dose provides life-long protection against the disease”.
The deputy governor described ‘yellow fever’ as an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes.
He commended UNICEF, WHO and other health development partners for their support for the state.
Alabi said that government was focusing on various interventions in the health sector in the state, adding that 332 primary health centres had been revitalised.
Earlier, the Chairman, State Primary Health Care Development Board, Mr Leke Ogunsola, said the vaccination campaign would hold between Nov. 20 and Nov. 29 for people between the age of nine months and 44 years in all the 30 council areas of the state.
Ogunsola said Osun was one of the few selected states for yellow fever immunisation programme in the country.
The Executive Secretary of the board, Dr Samson Fabiyi, said that health workers would be stationed at fixed posts in health facilities as well as temporary posts in schools, markets, churches, mosques and other public places for the vaccination. (NAN)