The Cross River State Government has announced the commencement of the 2026 Measles-Rubella (MR) Vaccination Campaign, alongside the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination, across the state.
The announcement was made by the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and development partners. The vaccination exercise is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, February 4, to Sunday, February 15, 2026, across all 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
Speaking on the campaign, the Director-General of CRSPHCDA, Dr. (Mrs.) Vivien Mesembe Otu, disclosed that the Measles–Rubella vaccine will be administered to children aged 9 months to 14 years, while the HPV vaccine will be given to adolescent girls aged 9 years to protect them against cervical cancer. She added that routine immunization services for children aged 0–23 months will also be provided during and after the campaign.
Dr. Otu explained that measles and rubella remain major public health concerns, capable of causing severe fever, congenital malformations, blindness, miscarriage in pregnant women, and even death if not prevented. She emphasized that vaccination remains the most effective means of protecting children from birth against these diseases.
The campaign, she noted, forms part of a nationwide vaccination exercise by the Federal Government of Nigeria, aimed at strengthening immunity among children and reducing the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases across the country.
According to the Director-General, vaccinations will be administered at health facilities, schools, churches, mosques, markets, recreational centres, palaces, motor parks, shopping malls, and other public locations where eligible children can easily be reached.
The agency assured residents that trained health workers will be deployed to all designated vaccination posts to ensure a smooth, respectful, and child-friendly process. Parents and caregivers have been urged to seize the opportunity and ensure that no eligible child is left unvaccinated.
“All vaccines to be administered during the campaign are free, safe, effective, and fully funded by the government,” the agency stated.
Concluding, she advised members of the public seeking further information to contact 08065153097 or 07036696010.
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