Jos, Plateau State – September 9 2025: Plateau State has joined preparations for Nigeria’s nationwide rollout of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine campaign, set to begin in October 2025. The initiative aims to strengthen child health and reduce measles and rubella cases across the country.
Speaking during a media sensitization and engagement meeting held on September 9 at the Plateau State Primary Health Care Board hall, Professor Esther Yiltok, a pediatrician with the University of Jos, highlighted the importance of vaccination in safeguarding children’s health.
“Vaccines have revolutionized public health by reducing deaths, infections, disease transmission, and complications,” she said. “Nigeria will now commence the campaign and formally introduce the measles-rubella vaccine, which has been in use globally for over 50 years and proven safe and effective.”
According to Yiltok, the campaign will begin in northern states this October and extend to the southern part of the country between January and February 2026. The exercise will target children between the ages of nine months and 14 years through schools, health facilities, markets, and other designated vaccination posts.
She explained that measles remains a leading cause of pneumonia, encephalitis, and deaths among children, while rubella poses serious risks to pregnant women, potentially causing congenital rubella syndrome in newborns, leading to blindness, deafness, or heart defects.
“This will be a free two-in-one vaccine, replacing the current measles vaccine in Nigeria’s routine immunization program. After the campaign, it will be administered at nine and 15 months of age,” Yiltok added.
The campaign will also integrate other health interventions, including oral polio vaccines, particularly in states where vaccine-derived poliovirus remains a threat.
The Director of the Plateau State Primary Health Care Board, Mr. Ladan Nanyak, emphasized the role of the media in ensuring public awareness and community participation. He said the sensitization session was organized to update journalists on the epidemiology of measles and rubella, the 2025 campaign strategy, and their roles in information dissemination.
Mr. Ndubisi Ebitea, the State Technical Assistant for the MR vaccine introduction, disclosed that the campaign in Plateau will cover all 17 local government areas, 325 wards, and an estimated target population of 2.2 million children out of the state’s 5.2 million residents. The exercise is scheduled for October 18–27, with two additional days for mop-up activities.
Ebitea commended Governor Caleb Mutfwang for being the leading governor in the country to pay the counterpart funding required for the MR campaign, describing it as a clear demonstration of the administration’s commitment to public health.
National Campaign Phases
The 2025 MR campaign will be conducted nationwide in two phases:
- Phase 1 (October 2025): Northern states including Plateau, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, and the FCT.
- Phase 2 (January–February 2026): Southern states including Lagos, Rivers, Anambra, and Cross River.
The campaign targets over 102 million children across Nigeria, aiming to achieve at least 95% vaccination coverage.
Campaign Goals
The Integrated MR campaign seeks to:
- Reduce measles and rubella incidence in Nigeria to fewer than five cases per million by 2026, and one case per million by 2030.
- Achieve 95% vaccination coverage among children aged nine months to 14 years.
- Reach more than 85% of children who have never received measles vaccines.
- Integrate polio vaccination in high-risk areas to stop circulation of vaccine-derived poliovirus.
Health officials have urged parents, teachers, and community leaders to support the campaign and ensure children within the target age group are vaccinated.
