UNICEF urges media in Kwara to counter health misinformation, promote vaccination, and support maternal and child health campaigns

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged media organisations and stakeholders to lead in health education, especially in rural communities, to counter rising misinformation on polio vaccination and other health interventions.

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Dr Emmanuel Alebiosu, UNICEF Health Specialist, made the call during a one-day media dialogue titled “Reporting Polio: Covering Gaps and Milestones” held on Tuesday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Alebiosu highlighted the media’s role as a credible platform essential for mobilising communities, promoting vaccination uptake, and confronting stereotypes and rumours that undermine public health campaigns.

“The role of the media in achieving universal coverage and addressing health gaps cannot be overemphasised. But we must acknowledge that it is also a platform that can spread misinformation and rumours, especially through social media,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Nusirat Elelu, Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, urged journalists to intensify accurate reporting to complement government health initiatives.

Represented by Micheal Oguntoye, Elelu explained that the state’s integrated health campaigns, starting November 29, 2025, will feature Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week and an HPV vaccination drive.

The campaigns aim to deliver “high-impact, low-cost interventions” to reduce morbidity and mortality among women and children, offering services such as routine immunisation, vitamin A supplementation, deworming, nutrition screening, and growth monitoring for children under five.

About 200,000 pregnant women are expected to access antenatal services.

The HPV vaccination targets nine-year-old girls who missed the initial rollout, with Elelu urging parents to ensure their daughters are vaccinated against cervical cancer.

Dr Gwomson Dauda, representing the World Health Organisation (WHO), commended state actors, development partners, and health workers for their dedication during the October Measles-Rubella campaign, stressing the importance of building on lessons learned to expand coverage and improve outcomes.

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According to WHO, maternal health concerns the well-being of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, with haemorrhage, infection, high blood pressure, unsafe abortion, and obstructed labour being major causes of maternal morbidity and mortality.