By Peter Duru, Makurdi 

The five days Big-Catch up immunization exercise carried out in 12 Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Benue state has recorded impressive turnout. 

The State Immunization Officer, SIO, at the Benue State Primary Health Care Board, BSPHCB, Emmanuel Adega who made this known Tuesday which is the last day of the first round of the exercise said the state was on course to meet its targeted immunization coverage. 

Recall that Benue is among the 20 states in the country that under-performed in immunization coverage hence the mop up in 12 LGAs that had the poor record to ensure that children of 12 and 59 months that were never immunised or failed to complete their immunization were all reached and vaccinated. 

The affected LGAs included Ado, Buruku, Guma, Gwer East, Katsina-Ala, Konshisha, Kwande, Logo, Okpokwu, Ushongo, Ukum and Vandeikya LGAs. 

Speaking on the recorded coverage, the SIO said “our people in the field are doing well and the report we are getting from them is encouraging because as the name implies, it is a ‘Big-Catch Up’, they are really catching the children that were missed during the COVID-19 era and other times when most of them were partially immunized and we still have those that were not immunized especially from 23 to 59 months. 

“The record shows that there is significant improvement in the coverage of children of 23 to 59 months. So we are so impressed with the programme and we are happy to do it and also continue in the next rounds to close the gap.” 

Adega reiterated the availability of vaccines assuring of the commitment of the team members in the fields noting “we will meet our targets which is 210,000 children in the targeted 12 LGAs of the state. We are targeting 55 percent now.” 

Also, the Assistant Local Immunization Officer, LIO, in Guma LGA, Athanasius Gbangun who led a team of vaccination officers to the field said the LGA had “a target of 21,972 children and we are determined to meet the target. 

“We cannot afford to be left behind this time. We thank UNICEF and her partners who have made this possible to save our children from childhood killer diseases. And on our part we are going round to ensure that no child is missed in this exercise.” 

Also, the Ward Focal Person for Mbawa Council Ward in charge of immunisation section at the FSP Clinic Daudu, Guma LGA, Patience Nyulaku said her Ward was given a target of 1,310 children, “and after four days we have already recorded 739 and at the end of the fifth day we will be close to that figure or even surpass it because I have 11 teams that are in the field. 

“Besides from this my centre we feed five Councils Wards of Mbawa, Nyiev, Mbabai Mbadwem and Mbaye Yandev with vaccines. 

“Ward Focal Persons in the said Wards pick vaccines from us to distribute to their participants who now go into the fields and no one is relenting because we want our children fully immunised.” 

While also lauding UNICEF and her partners for the intervention, the Ward Focal Person said “We are working hard to beat our target hoping that after this exercise all the missed children would have been captured.”