Date: 2021-02-27

Kwara State Government on Saturday began a second round of Maternal Neonatal Tetanus Elimination programme across the 10 identified high risk local government areas of the State.

"This is taking place in designated health facilities and other areas where the targeted population can be easily reached between Saturday February 27 and March 3, 2021," Executive Secretary Kwara State Primary Healthcare Development Agency Dr Nusirat Elelu said in a statement.

"Girls, pregnant women and women between the ages of 15 years and 49 years can access the injection in health centres and temporary fixed posts in Asa, Baruten, Edu, Ilorin East, Ilorin West, Irepodun, Moro, Oke-Ero, Oyun and Patigi identified as high risk LGAs," she said.

Dr Elelu identified neonatal tetanus as one of the leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality which is a grossly under-reported disease. The statement added: "Without medical care mortality from NT is close to 100%, often exceeding 50% even with hospital care. Immunisation of women who are pregnant or of child bearing age reduces incidence of NT mortality by an estimated 94%. "Significant progress has been made in the reduction of the burden of neonatal mortality, still one newborn dies every 15 minutes from neonatal tetanus despite the availability of an effective intervention to prevent such unnecessary death."

The executive secretary explained that the state carried out risk analysis to identify the LGAs with high burden of MNT and a three round of anti-tetanus campaign has been designed to reach the eligible population.

"To achieve more progress in the Maternal Neonatal Tetanus Elimination programme, a risk analysis was done to identify the LGAs with high burden of MNT and a three round tetanus campaign planned to reach the eligible population. The first round was conducted late 2019," Dr Elelu added.