By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA) has launched ROTA vaccines that will be mainstream into it’s routine immunization (RI) campaigns across the State.
Addressing mothers, health care service providers and other key stakeholders on Thursday 25th August 2022, at Kofar Dumi Primary Healthcare Centre in Bauchi, shortly before launching the ROTA vaccine, the state executive chairman of the Agency Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed said the oral vaccine is meant to check Diarrhoeal Disease that is caused by ROTA Virus among under five children.
“ROTA vaccine is meant to protect your under five children against Diarrhoeal diseases, Dehydration and Hospitalization.
“Ensure that your children get the required doses of the ROTA vaccines at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age. All vaccines are effective, safe and free”, Dr. Mohammed urged mothers and care givers.
He also disclosed that Bauchi State Government has received 200,000 doses from the Federal Government and that more will be received in due course.
He thanked the Federal Government and International Partners for making available the ROTA vaccines, assuring that it will be judiciously utilize across all the 20 local government areas of the state.
“Going forward, the ROTA vaccines will be included into all RI campaigns as one of the antigens to be administered to all eligible children in the State”, said Dr. Mohammed.
In a goodwill message, the representative of WHO Mr. Tarik Beru congratulated the state for launching ROTA vaccine and also mainstreaming it into their RI campaign.
He equally called on care givers to avail themselves the opportunity by bringing their children to be immunize, stressing that, “this is another effort at mitigating child mortality and morbidity in the community”.
Also speaking, the Zonal Coordinator of NPHCDA, Mallam Bashir Maidabino, said the launching of the ROTA vaccine could not have come at a better, especially looking at the damage diarrhoea is causing among children.
He also appeal to the mothers to complement the efforts of health agencies by imbibing the culture of hand washing, sanitation and personal hygiene at the household level.
Highlights of the occasion was the administering of the ROTA vaccines to eligible children by the executive chairman of BSPHCDA and other invited guests.