Lagos State Government has announced plans to integrate the Measles–Rubella, MR, vaccine into its Routine Immunisation, RI, schedule, as part of renewed efforts to strengthen disease prevention and protect children against vaccine-preventable illnesses.
The Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, LSPHCBZ, stated this during a media orientation on the introduction of the MR vaccine, held to sensitise journalists ahead of the statewide vaccination campaign scheduled to run from January 20 to January 29, 2026.
Speaking at the event, the Director of Health Education and Promotion Services, Mrs. Grace Honfor, said the campaign would target children aged nine months to 14 years across the state. She described the initiative as a critical step in safeguarding public health and reducing the burden of measles and rubella infections in Lagos.
Mrs. Honfor urged parents, caregivers and community leaders to support the exercise, stressing that the government is committed to ensuring that every child in the state grows up healthy and protected from preventable diseases.
Also speaking, the Social Behaviour Change Health Consultant, Mr. Seyi Nubi, explained that the campaign would deploy mass media and digital communication strategies to drive awareness, acceptance and demand for the MR vaccine.
He said the objective is to achieve high vaccination coverage among eligible children, while also protecting pregnant women and communities from the risks associated with rubella infection.
The Immunisation Programme Coordinator, Dr. Akinpelu Adetola, provided insights into the public health implications of measles and rubella, describing measles as a highly contagious disease with severe complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness, hearing loss, severe diarrhoea and death, particularly among young children and immunocompromised persons.
He noted that up to 90 per cent of susceptible close contacts could become infected, with symptoms including fever, rash, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis.
Dr. Adetola explained that while rubella is often mild in children, infection during early pregnancy can lead to Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS), resulting in lifelong disabilities such as heart defects, deafness, blindness, and neurological impairments in newborns.
Highlighting global trends, he noted that measles cases rose from 8.6 million in 2022 to over 10 million in 2023, with the number of countries experiencing major outbreaks increasing from 36 to 57. Although global rubella vaccine coverage stands at 69 per cent, he said the risk of CRS remains high in countries with low immunisation coverage.
In Nigeria, Dr. Adetola disclosed that 9,821 confirmed measles cases and 77 deaths have been recorded, with about 73 per cent of cases occurring among “zero-dose” children who had not received any prior measles vaccination.
He added that Lagos State participated in the 2024 integrated Supplementary Immunisation Activity between October and November, targeting measles, yellow fever, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV), reaching about 3.58 million children and achieving approximately 85 per cent coverage.
He further noted that Nigeria ranks second globally in measles cases after the Democratic Republic of Congo, underscoring the urgency of intensified vaccination efforts.
According to him, the MR vaccine offers a higher seroconversion rate of over 90 per cent compared to 85 per cent for measles-only vaccines, making it more effective in closing immunity gaps.
Dr. Adetola said the January 2026 campaign would help protect children aged nine months to 14 years, reduce measles and rubella transmission, and significantly lower the risk of Congenital Rubella Syndrome in Lagos State.
The Lagos State Primary Health Care Board reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the media, community leaders, and other stakeholders to ensure the success of the campaign, while calling on residents to fully participate in the upcoming Measles–Rubella vaccination exercise.
