KWSG Commences Integrated Campaigns for MNCH Week, Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine

…To begin state wide 4-day house to house polio vaccination of over 1,200,000 children, from 28th June to 1st July, 2025.

The Kwara State Government, in collaboration with other Partners, has commenced integrated campaigns for optimized Maternal Newborn Child Health (MNCH) Week and the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine (HPV) in health facilities and outreach posts across the 16 LGAs of the state.

The campaigns are aimed to provide a package of high impact low-cost interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality among women and children in Kwara State. 

The Executive Secretary, Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Prof. Nusirat Elelu, made this known while addressing pressmen and staff of the Agency, adding that these interventions are implemented in line with the recommendations of the National Council on Health, as a strategy to  reduce the unacceptably high morbidity and mortality among children and women of child bearing age and an opportunity to scale up health services, particularly in the hard to reach and underserved populations. 

These services include routine immunization, vitamin A supplementation, deworming, growth monitoring, nutrition screening for over 1,200,000 under 5 children, while antenatal services, distribution of Folic Acid, supplementation, Sulfadoxine Pyrimethamine (SP) for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria and Multiple Micronutrients Supplements (MMS), among others will also be given to over 100,000 pregnant women across the state, to improve their nutritional status. 

Prof. Elelu noted that the MNCH week is being integrated with Human Papilloma Virus vaccination campaign to protect girls aged 9 years, who were not eligible to be vaccinated during the HPV vaccine introduction campaign in 2024, revealing that the HPV vaccine will be given to 50,000 eligible girls across the state to prevent contracting cervical cancer. 

In a  related development, the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, with support from Partners, will also commence a state wide 4-day house to house polio vaccination campaign across all settlements in the state, from 28th June to 1st July, 2025, targeting over 1,200,000 children.  

The Executive Secretary, Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Prof. Nusirat Elelu, said that vaccination teams will visit houses, places of worship, schools and markets, to ensure no eligible child is left unreached, disclosing that these activities were preceded by series of capacity building and intensive trainings carried out by the Agency to ensure success. 

Prof Elelu lauded the State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for his magnanimity and unrelenting effort at improving health services for the people of Kwara through prompt payment of all necessary counterpart funds and providing enabling environment. 

She reiterated the commitment of the management and staff of the Agency to continue to put in their best and deliver on the mandate of making healthcare services available at every nook and cranny of the state, calling on all stakeholders, service providers, community leaders, especially fathers, mothers and caregivers to ensure that their children are immunized during this life saving integrated interventions.

The Executive Secretary stressed that the state government will continue to work with partners such as the Office of the First Lady of Kwara State, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Vitamin Angels, Chigari Foundation and the World Bank to ensure health for all.

These activities were flagged off across the 16 LGAs by the wives of the Executive Chairmen of the respective Local Government Areas of Kwara State.

Alade Opeyemi,

Press Secretary,

KWSPHCDA.

0803 813 3813