First Lady launches Measles-Rubella Vaccine Campaign to protect millions of Nigerian children

By Kunle Sanni –

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has officially launched the nationwide Measles-Rubella Vaccine Introduction Integrated Campaign, a landmark health initiative aimed at protecting millions of Nigerian children from deadly but preventable diseases.

Speaking at the national flag-off ceremony in Abuja, Senator Tinubu described the campaign as “a collective national resolve to end the devastation caused by measles and rubella,” diseases that have robbed countless children of their futures.

“Measles can cause blindness, permanent disability, and, in too many cases, death. Its twin disease, rubella, though often silent, is equally harmful, especially to unborn children of infected pregnant women,” the First Lady said.

She called on parents and community leaders to take active roles in ensuring every eligible child receives the vaccine.

“A vaccine in a vial does not save a child. A vaccine in a clinic does not protect a community. Protection only becomes real when that vaccine is injected into the arm of a child,” she said, urging mothers and fathers to support the effort.

The integrated campaign—described as the largest health initiative in Africa’s history—targets about 106 million children aged nine months to under 15 years in two phases. It also combines vaccination efforts against polio and extends the HPV vaccine rollout to adolescent girls, in line with global health goals under the Immunization Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Senator Tinubu expressed gratitude to traditional and religious leaders for their continued support in advancing child health, citing their role in the successful rollout of the HPV vaccine.

Representatives from global health partners commended Nigeria’s leadership in immunization. Yusuf Yusufari, Deputy Director for Immunization and Disease Control at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, noted Nigeria’s progress in protecting children and women from preventable diseases, describing the new campaign as “another milestone in public health.”