12th October 2025
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency, in collaboration with state governments and development partners, has intensified efforts to vaccinate 106 million Nigerian children against vaccine-preventable diseases.
The nationwide initiative aims to raise awareness for the ongoing Integrated Measles-Rubella, Polio, and Human Papillomavirus vaccination campaign, which will run from October 2025 to February 2026.
This large-scale vaccination exercise reflects the agency’s commitment to ensuring that no child is left unprotected while strengthening partnerships between national and state health authorities to achieve improved health outcomes for children across the country.
On October 6, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who flagged off the Measles–Rubella campaign, described the exercise as a bold step toward protecting the lives and future of children.
Speaking during a road walk and health show in Abuja, the Director of Disease Control and Immunization at NPHCDA, Dr. Garuba Rufai, described the exercise as part of a broad awareness campaign currently taking place across 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“This is part of our awareness campaign for the measles-rubella integrated campaign that is currently ongoing in 11 states and the FCT.
“As we speak, in those 11 states and the FCT, children aged zero to 14 years are being vaccinated with the measles-rubella vaccine and the polio vaccine. The HPV vaccine is for girls aged nine to 14 years, alongside the routine immunization vaccines,” Dr. Rufai explained.
He added that the campaign is being implemented in collaboration with other health programmes, including malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
“We are also collaborating with the malaria programme, and we are providing what we call seasonal malaria prophylaxis in a couple of the states. We’re also working with the NTDs programme to manage some of the diseases in states where they are prevalent,” he noted.
According to Dr. Rufai, several strategies have been deployed nationwide to ensure that the campaign reaches every eligible child.
“We have all of our social mobilization efforts, including the use of public announcement vans. We have engaged with communities and different groups — teachers, parents, physicians, ministries such as education, religious bodies, and traditional leaders,” he said.
He disclosed that similar road walks are being replicated across participating states, supported by state governments, the wives of governors, and local government chairpersons.
Rufai revealed that while the first phase of the campaign covers 11 states and the FCT, the next phase will commence soon.
“We intend to vaccinate 106 million Nigerians by the end of February. We’re starting with 11 states and the FCT now. By October 18, we’ll move to the next stream of states, which will complete the first phase for this year. By January next year, we’ll continue with phase two, and also in February,” he explained.
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