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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Kaduna State Government, in collaboration with UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other development partners, has officially flagged off the Integrated Measles and Rubella (MR) Vaccination Campaign aimed at protecting millions of children across the state from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The campaign, which began on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at the Primary Health Care Centre in Badarawa, Kaduna North Local Government area, is part of a nationwide immunization drive to safeguard children against measles, rubella, and polio.
It would run for 10 days, with two additional days for mop-up activities, targeting 4.2 million children aged between 9 months and 14 years across all 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
Speaking at the national flag-off, Yusuf Yusufari, Deputy Director of Immunization and Disease Control at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, reaffirmed the Foundation’s strong commitment to supporting Nigeria’s immunization programmes.
He noted that Nigeria remains a global example of what can be achieved in protecting children and women from preventable diseases, stressing that the Foundation’s mission is to ensure that no child or woman dies from diseases that vaccines can prevent.
Yusufari reiterated that the Foundation, inspired by the vision of its co-chair, Mr. Bill Gates, has pledged $200 billion over the next two decades to advance global health initiatives, including vaccine development and distribution, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
He praised Nigeria’s resilience in the fight against polio, describing the nation’s wild polio-free certification as a remarkable global health achievement, adding that the Foundation continues to provide extensive support to Nigeria through funding, partnerships, and innovative research into new vaccine delivery methods such as vaccine patches and treatments for childhood illnesses.
At the event, the WHO Data Officer for Kaduna Field Office, Mallam Suleiman Mohammed, explained that the campaign targets about 42 percent of the state’s total population, representing 4.2 million children eligible for the MR vaccine.
He commended the strong mobilization witnessed on the first day of the exercise and called it a golden opportunity for parents to protect their children against life-threatening diseases.
The State Incident Manager, Mr. Abdullahi Musa of the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, said the government was fully prepared for the exercise, noting that planning had been ongoing for the past three months.
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He stated that coordination was being managed from the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) with daily reviews of logistics, cold-chain systems, and operational processes to ensure smooth implementation.
Director of Disease Control and Immunization, Dr. Hamza Ibrahim Ikara, highlighted Kaduna’s determination to eliminate the number of zero-dose children (those who have never received any vaccination).
To him, of Nigeria’s 100 local government areas with zero-dose challenges, Kaduna accounts for 10, representing almost 10 percent of the national total.
However, he added that the figure is steadily declining due to effective collaboration between the Kaduna State Government and partners such as UNICEF, WHO, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
At the local level, Chairman of Kaduna North Local Government, Muhammad Gambo, pledged full support for the exercise, noting that the council had provided 50 vaccine carriers and deployed additional vaccination teams across key wards including Maiburuji, Kawo, Hayin Banki, Ungwar Shanu, and Ungwar Rimi.
He urged residents to cooperate with health teams to ensure every eligible child is reached.
Traditional leaders, represented by the Chief of Kwaru, Alhaji Ashiru Mohammed Wada, also pledged their support, noting that traditional institutions have been actively sensitizing their communities about the importance of vaccination.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has mobilized journalists, social media influencers, and civil society organizations to use their various platforms to create awareness and encourage community participation in the exercise.
The organization emphasized that accurate and consistent public messaging remains vital to achieving full immunization coverage in the state.
The integrated measles and rubella campaign also includes oral polio vaccination, deworming, and distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
