Bauchi Agency Clears Misconception on Associating Yellow Fever Campaign to Covid-19 Vaccine
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA) have cleared the misconception surrounding the ongoing ten days yellow fever vaccination exercise taking place in 19 Local Government Areas of Bauchi State.
Addressing clients seeking to be vaccinated during a mini flag off of the Yellow Fever Campaign on Wednesday at Tirwun Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) in Bauchi LGA, the executive chairman of the Agency , Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed said the mini flag has become imperative because of concerns from some quarters associating the yellow fever vaccines to Covid-19 vaccines.
This, according to Dr. Mohammed is affecting the turn out of the yellow fever campaign that is targeted at persons between the ages of 9 Months to 44 years old.
“I want to put it on record that at the moment, the Covid-19 vaccines has not arrived Nigeria yet. So, how can we vaccinate people with what is not even in the country.
“For your information, Bauchi State is being apportioned only 1900 doses of the Covid-19 vaccines for the entire state. How, then, can we possibly vaccinate over 5 million Bauchi citizens, which is our target for the yellow fever campaign. It is beyond human imagination”, said the agency boss.
Dr. Mohammed urged the people to ensure that they get vaccinated and to also collect their vaccination cards for safe keeping, stressing that, it is the only evidence they might be asked to present at any point in time when traveling within and outside the country.
He also disclosed that at the end of the ten days campaign, a quality survey will be carried out to ascertain the success or otherwise of the yellow fever vaccination exercise.
Dr. Mohammed further cautioned that pregnant women, within the age group, are exempted from taking the yellow fever vaccine.
“There is enough yellow fever vaccines to go round and it does not have any side effects”, said Dr. Mohammed.
In a goodwill message, Mr. Nubi Seyi of C4D UNICEF commended the community leaders and the BSPHCDA for mobilizing clients to vaccination posts.
Seyi also enjoined the community to continue with routine immunization as yellow fever vaccination does not affect their routine immunization schedule.
High point of the event saw the executive chairman of BSPHCDA Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed administering the Yellow Fever vaccines to waiting clients.