Anambra To Introduce New Vaccines For Routine Immunization

The Executive Secretary, Anambra State Primary Health Care Development
Agency Mrs. Chioma Ezenyimulu says new vaccines will soon be introduced in routine Immunization in the state.
Mrs. Ezenyimulu announced this at the opening ceremony of the training
on Basic Guide to routine immunization for service providers in the state held in Awka.
The vaccines according to her include Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer, Rota virus vaccine for
prevention of severe diarrhoea among young children, and men A vaccine
for the prevention of cerebrospinal meningitis.
She explained that routine immunization means the use of vaccine to prevent illnesses such as Tuberculosis, Poliomyelitis, Measles, Tetanus, Whooping cough, Yellow fever and Pneumonia.
Mrs. Ezenyimulu stressed that the training, which would be given to
workers from top health institutions down to those at local health facilities , was to update the knowledge of all health workers on immunization and also to teach them how the different vaccines work,
their mode of preservation, and the maintenance of cold chain
equipment, as well as how to prepare their micro plans for immunization campaigns.
She urged health workers to take advantage of the opportunity to
refresh and improve on their knowledge and commended the World Health Organization for sponsoring the training, noting that with their
assistance, Anambra State has won the award for the best performing
state on immunization this year.
Head, Immunization and Disease control, of the Agency, Dr Nnamdi
Uliagbafusi urged the participants to listen attentively to lectures so that they could pass the knowledge they acquired to their subordinates at their health facilities.
The WHO State Representative, Chinyere Ebede, and UNICEF South East Zonal Logistician, Mrs. Ndidi Nwosu noted that after the training,
routine immunization would be greatly improved on in the state.
They added that Cold Chain Inventory Assessment would be conducted
next week in the state.
In a vote of thanks, Head of Department Health, Onitsha South LGA, Dr Frank Umeh, thanked the Executive Secretary for her support to Local Government Health Workers now under the Agency.