Echezona Okafor 
Mrs Nonye Soludo, the Wife of the Anambra State Governor has flagged off the African Vaccination Week and Rotavirus Vaccine Post Introduction Intensification Exercise in Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State.
In her address at the event, Mrs Soludo affirmed that Rotavirus remained a major child-killer disease, with the number of deaths recorded annually, an indication that it must be wiped out without delay.
She however stated that “the plan is to vaccinate over 270,000 children annually in Anambra, so I encourage mothers who have children between the age of six weeks and 23 months to visit any health facility in the state and get their kids vaccinated.”
She also, reminded them that the vaccination is administered free of charge, and told the women to report anyone asking for money to administer the vaccine to the appropriate authorities.
Mrs Soludo also promised that “the governor administration is adopting best measures to achieve the lowest count on childhood mortality in the state.”
She called on Anambra and Nigerian mothers to always handle health-related matters with utmost care.
While commending the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF), and state-based health workers for the support they have shown to the current exercise and other programmes, the Governor’s Wife noted that the state has never failed to do the needful to maximize immunisation coverage”. She said.
On his part, the Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike explained that as of April 2022, the number of children that had received the Rotavirus vaccination was 388, with the count rising above 10,600 as of April 2023.
The commissioner also said that the number of Children with diarrhoea-related disease as of April 2022, stood at 1,477, but has reduced to just 476 in April this year, showing that a significant result has been achieved since the vaccination began.
However, the compliance figure increased significantly from the dawn of the present administration in March 2022, with statistics revealing that thousands of children have been vaccinated between April last year to April 2023.
The free Rotavirus vaccination was officially flagged off in Anambra State, in December 2021.
The Executive Secretary of Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Chisom Uchem stated that the programme aimed at creating awareness of the importance of immunisation in ensuring that children get vaccinated in all localities.
She also encouraged mothers to always make sure their children get immunized at the right time.
Uchem also urged them to always prioritize the healthcare of their children.
She further appreciated the State Governor for valuing and investing hugely in the health sector.
She beckoned on other state Governors to emulate Soludo and appreciated their partners and their guests.
The theme of the event was; “The Big Catch Up”. It was organised by the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, ASPHCDA, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF.
The ceremonial demonstration of the Rotavirus vaccination on children by Mrs Soludo climaxed the event.
Present at the event were, Wife of the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Mrs Oluchi Ibezim, the Executive Secretary of Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency, ASPHCDA, Chisom Uchem, representatives of UNICEF and the traditional ruler of Onitsha, health workers, students, among others.
