Dr Sekinat Bola Oyebamiji, President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Osun State chapter, has reassured parents and guardians across the state of the safety of the Measles Rubella vaccine for children.
Oyebamiji, a Consultant Gynaecologist at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital (UNIOSUNTH), explained that the vaccine has a long history of use, noting that it has been administered in the United Kingdom since the 1970s with a strong safety profile.
She gave the assurance while delivering a goodwill message at a stakeholders’ forum on the upcoming Measles Rubella Vaccination Campaign, held on Wednesday, the 7th of January, 2026, in Osogbo.
“The vaccine is safe. We are promoting it. We are privileged that this rollout campaign has been done in Northern Nigeria and now it is our turn in Osun State,” she said.
Calling for collective responsibility, Oyebamiji appealed to traditional and religious leaders to help disseminate correct information about the exercise in places of worship and educational institutions across the state.
“I beseech us to talk about it in our churches, mosques and schools. Schools should allow children to be vaccinated. It is good for us,” she added.
She said the campaign holds special significance for MWAN, stressing that its members are both medical professionals and mothers who prioritise the health and wellbeing of children.
“Anything that involves children and mothers is very important to us. Vaccination has significantly reduced fatality among children,” Oyebamiji said.
According to her, while measles vaccination had existed previously, the inclusion of the rubella component offers additional protection for children, warning that failure to vaccinate could result in Congenital Rubella Syndrome, which can cause conditions such as blindness and deafness.
She further revealed that access to the rubella vaccine had previously been limited mainly to wealthy families in major cities like Abuja and Lagos.
Oyebamiji praised the Federal Ministry of Health and President Bola Tinubu for ensuring the nationwide availability of the vaccine.
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Also speaking at the meeting, the Osun State Coordinator of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Mrs Tope Shadare, credited the effectiveness of immunisation programmes in the state to strong stakeholder collaboration and government backing.
She explained that the vaccine is designed to safeguard the health of children within the specified age group and advised stakeholders to continually remind parents that immunisation is not restricted to the campaign period.
Shadare assured participants that only trained and certified vaccinators would administer the injectable vaccine. She disclosed that the campaign targets children aged nine months to 14 years, while routine immunisation covers children between nine and 15 months.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Osun State Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Mr Fadare, expressed the association’s readiness to support the campaign, identifying misinformation, political interests and religious beliefs as obstacles to vaccination efforts.
“What we are doing here is not for PDP or APC but for the future of our children who are our tomorrow,” he said.
Representatives of UNICEF, Pharm Israel Olakanmi, and the World Health Organisation, Dr Bitrus Atizwen, also confirmed that vaccines, logistics and funding had been made available, while advising parents to ensure the vaccine is administered only once, as recommended.