CALABAR, NIGERIA – The Cross River State Government has launched back-to-back health interventions targeting children under five, pregnant women, and adolescent girls, in a renewed effort to reduce preventable deaths and promote community well-being.
The Director General of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Vivien M. Otu, disclosed that the Second Round of the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) will commence from June 28 to July 3, 2025, across the 18 local government areas of the state.
“The polio vaccine is free, safe and effective. It is our duty to protect children under 59 months from the threat of poliomyelitis,” she said. Otu explained that the immunization campaign will be carried out in health facilities, homes, churches, mosques, markets, and recreational centres.
Health care workers, according to her, will go door-to-door, ensuring that no child is left out. “We are not waiting for people to come to us. We are taking the vaccine to their doorsteps,” she noted.
This effort, she said, reflects the government’s ethical obligation to protect the most vulnerable, especially children, from diseases that vaccines can eliminate.
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In a separate but related initiative, the agency also announced the commencement of the first round of the Optimize Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week (oMNCHW) and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccination, scheduled for July 8 to 13, 2025.
“This integrated campaign goes beyond immunization,” said Otu. “We will also provide vitamin A supplements, deworming tablets, HIV counselling and testing, birth registration, iron tablets for pregnant women, and family planning services.”
The inclusion of HPV vaccination for adolescent girls aged 9 years signals a long-term strategy to prevent cervical cancer. According to Otu, “We are investing in their future health by acting early.”
The Director General said the dual campaigns reflect the government’s strong commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goals on child and maternal health, gender equality, and access to essential healthcare services.
Parents and caregivers are urged to make their wards available for the exercises. “We can’t do this without community participation,” she stressed, adding that poor health outcomes are often preventable if people access available services.
Reacting to concerns about safety, Otu reassured the public that all interventions are WHO-approved, government-endorsed, and risk-free. “The lives of our children and women are too precious to leave to chance,” she said.
For more information, the public can call 08065153097 or 07036696010.
