The Nigerian Government has launched a mass vaccination campaign in alliance with the World Health Organisation (WHO), aiming to immunise more than 25 million people before the end of this year.
This drive, started on Thursday, is part of a global effort to eliminate the risk of yellow fever epidemics by 2026, which should be possible if 90 per cent of the population can be reached.
The preventive campaign will use vaccines funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and will also be supported by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The yellow fever virus is mosquito-borne, and the disease can cause jaundice due to liver damage.
Nigeria’s current yellow fever outbreak began in September, and by early January this year, a total of 358 suspected cases had been reported, with 45 deaths.