The Ogun State Government has announced the deployment of over 7,000 health workers for a statewide measles and rubella vaccination campaign targeting about 2.9 million children.
The Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Elijah Ogunsola, disclosed this on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ engagement held at the board’s conference room within the Governor’s Office, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
Dr Ogunsola said the exercise, scheduled to run from January 20 to 29, 2026, is aimed at reducing the rising number of measles cases recorded in the state in the past year.
According to him, children aged nine months to 14 years are expected to benefit from the campaign.
“Our target is to reach about 20,000 settlements across the state and vaccinate 2.9 million children. To achieve this, we are deploying more than 7,000 trained personnel for the measles and rubella vaccine campaign,” he said.
Explaining the strategy to be adopted, the executive secretary noted that the vaccination would not be conducted on a house to house basis but through a settlement to settlement approach.
“This is not a house to house campaign. We will identify central locations in each settlement where our teams will be stationed. Each team will consist of six personnel who will vaccinate children from nine months to 14 years,” Dr Ogunsola stated.
He added that vaccination points would be located within short distances to ease access for parents and caregivers.
“The teams will be stationed at designated points not more than 500 metres apart, so parents will not need to travel far to get their children vaccinated,” he said.
Dr Ogunsola explained that although the main campaign would end on January 29, mop up activities would continue until February 1, 2026. He added that children who attain the age of nine months after the campaign would still be vaccinated at health facilities across the state.
“During the campaign, we would have covered children up to 14 years. Any child who begins to turn nine months after the exercise can get vaccinated at our health centres,” he said.
He also disclosed that schools, churches and mosques would be major points of focus to ensure that eligible children are not left out. Reassuring parents about the safety of the vaccine, Dr Ogunsola urged them to participate actively in the exercise.
“The measles and rubella vaccine is safe. Parents should not entertain any fear. This campaign is in the best interest of our children and the future of the state,” he said.
He further called on media organisations and development partners to support government efforts through sustained public sensitisation.
Rubella, also known as German measles, is a viral disease that presents symptoms similar to measles such as rashes, runny nose, cough and red eyes.
Health experts warn that it poses serious risks to pregnant women and can lead to Congenital Rubella Syndrome, which may result in blindness, deafness, heart defects or brain damage in newborns.
The World Health Organisation has identified rubella as a growing public health concern in Nigeria due to its link to Congenital Rubella Syndrome.
This development has led to nationwide vaccination campaigns since late 2025, with the goal of eliminating the disease by 2030.
Peak cases are usually recorded between January and April, largely affecting children under the age of 15.
