No fewer than 29,000 women between the ages of 15 to 49 in Numan local government are targeted as Adamawa State launches its second phase of Maternal Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) exercise today.
In a press conference marking the beginning of the exercise on Monday, the health educator, Adamawa State Primary HealthCare Development Agency (ASPHCDA), Lydia Adamu said the rationale for the vaccination is to reduce fatality induced by Maternal Neotal Tetanus (MNT).
She noted that MNT deaths are preventable with the administration of vaccines which are usually administered in doses.
Adamu said the first dose was administered on no fewer than 27,000 women within the reproductive age of 15 – 49 in Numan local government last month calling on them to come forward for the second dose of the vaccine.
She also encouraged those who did not receive the first dose to come forward to ensure their safety and the safety of their babies during child delivery.
Lydia noted that MNT remains a major health challenge in about 12 countries including Nigeria necessitating the need for constant vaccination against the deadly disease.
She noted that the use of non sterile instruments and contaminated materials to cut umbilical cord and delivery in unhygienic environment are some of the major causes of MNT infections.
The health educator added that between 10 to 20 percent of tetanus infections are fatal urging people to embrace vaccination as their only shield against the disease through routine immunization.
She urged every woman within child bearing age to take at least three doses of the vaccine so as to remain safe during child delivery because of the fact that eradicating the disease completely is not possible as tetanus spores are found in the soil throughout the world.
Also speaking, Umar Abubakar Bahuli, State Immunization Officer said Numan was chosen for the exercise because data from Adamawa State indicated that MNT cases always emanate from the local government.
He noted that the first phase of the exercise which targeted 27,000 women within the reproductive age of 15 – 49 was successful as the exercise recorded 101 percent success.
He said such informed the drive to increase the coverage to 29,000 women in the second exercise so that more women can be protected.
Earlier in her welcome address, the program manager, state emergency maternal and child intervention center, Rashida Tahir thanked the media for the role it is playing to disseminate information to the general public.
She noted that the MNTE exercise was launched in Numan about a month ago where women of child bearing ages were immunized against the killer disease. She urged the media to sustain the tempo of the awareness for the good of the society.
