Katsina health authorities have begun vaccinating 150,000 people in the council area of Danja in the wake of a recent outbreak of Yellow fever.
It is expected the campaign in reaction to the outbreak will protect some 154,131 people, aged nine months to 45.
The campaign, under way since, last week, is expected concluded by August 18.
It comes after the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) strategy by 2026, launched in April by the World Health Orgnisation in Abuja.
Outbreaks of the viral fever which causes bleeding have been confirmed in 22 council areas across 11 states since September last year.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has reported some 2,400 suspected cases of yellow fever, and 47 people have been peopled.
“The campaign in Katsina is a reactive vaccination in response to confirmed Yellow fever case,” said WHO country representative Wondimagegnehu Alemu.
“With one single injection, we can provide life-long immunity against this disease at a cost of approximately one US dollar,” he said.
WHO pledged to donate 12 million Yellow fever vaccines in 2018 and another 19 million next year to deal with challenges of sustaining supply to reach at-risk populations.
Some of the 12 million will be used in Danja. Katsina brings to 10 the total number of states—alongside camps for displaced people in Borno—where campaigns have been on against Yellow fever.
Mass vaccination campaigns get underway in early November in Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, FCT, Plateau and Borno states in a second phase of the EYE strategy, in efforts to vaccinate 25 million citizens by the end of 2018.
