- Fati Ali, Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Board, thanked UNICEF for its support
The Borno State Government has confirmed the arrival of 669,569 doses of cholera vaccines, delivered by UNICEF and its partners to help combat the disease in the state.
While receiving the vaccines in Maiduguri on Thursday, Fati Ali, Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Board, thanked UNICEF for its support in transporting the vaccines from Lagos. “UNICEF is one of the partners supporting and collaborating with the state 100 percent,” Ali said.
She urged residents to visit local healthcare facilities to get vaccinated, emphasising the importance of the vaccines in preventing the spread of cholera.
UNICEF Chief of the Maiduguri Field Office, Dr. Gerida Birukila, highlighted that this was the second batch of vaccines, with an earlier batch of 300,000 doses already helping to control cholera outbreaks, particularly in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and vulnerable communities.
Birukila reassured the public that the oral vaccine is safe and suitable for people aged one and above, adding, “It does not have any side effects.”
She also thanked the Borno State Government for its cooperation, noting the importance of the vaccine in protecting residents from cholera.