Yobe State Launches Mass Yellow Fever Vaccination Campaign Amid Global Health Insights

The Yobe State Government in Nigeria has initiated a comprehensive Yellow Fever mass vaccination campaign, set to run for 12 days across all 17 Local Government Areas of the state. This campaign, a collaborative effort between the State Primary Healthcare Board, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and various development partners, aims to vaccinate 85% of the target population, focusing on individuals aged nine months to 44 years old.

The vaccination drive is part of a broader public health initiative to combat yellow fever, a mosquito-borne disease that can cause severe liver damage and is responsible for over 200,000 cases and 10,000 deaths globally each year. The vaccine, along with other routine immunization vaccines, will be administered through health facilities and designated vaccination sites within communities.

To ensure the campaign’s success, extensive social mobilisation and community engagement efforts are underway. A training workshop was conducted to equip members of the social mobilisation and community engagement committee with the necessary knowledge and skills to engage communities effectively during the campaign. Key stakeholders, including Dr. Umar Chiromari, Director of Immunisation and Disease Control, and representatives from UNICEF, have emphasized the importance of achieving the target coverage for Yellow Fever, Measles, Polio, and HPV vaccines.

Recent research supports the efficacy of the yellow fever vaccine, indicating that a single dose provides lifelong immunity against symptomatic yellow fever. A study published in The Lancet Microbe found that breakthrough infections after primary vaccination are rare, especially after 10 years, aligning with the World Health Organization‘s (WHO) guidelines that a single vaccination is sufficient for lifelong protection.

The campaign in Yobe State underscores the critical role of preventive measures in managing public health crises, particularly for diseases like yellow fever, which have no effective treatments but can be prevented through vaccination.