{"id":121424,"date":"2025-08-13T19:18:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T18:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=121424"},"modified":"2025-08-13T19:18:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T18:18:30","slug":"rubella-poses-greater-threat-than-measles-unicef-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rubella-poses-greater-threat-than-measles-unicef-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"Rubella Poses Greater Threat Than Measles, UNICEF Warns\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Tracy Moses<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over the growing spread of Rubella, describing it as more dangerous than measles due to its devastating effects on both expectant mothers and their unborn children.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">UNICEF, is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children around the world.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to them, the viral disease, often mistaken for measles, can cause lifelong health complications in newborns, including permanent hearing loss, cataracts, severe eye defects, and in some cases, total blindness, if not detected and managed early.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mrs. Grace Odeyemi, UNICEF Team Lead for Niger State, issued the warning during a one-day training workshop for journalists, health teachers, and healthcare workers on the introduction of the Rubella-Measles vaccine, which will roll out in Nigeria for the first time in October 2025.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking on the theme \u201cBehavioural Change\u201d, Odeyemi stressed the need for early public sensitisation, noting that many Nigerians are unfamiliar with the disease, and in some cases, cultural or superstitious interpretations hinder timely diagnosis and treatment.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cRubella is especially dangerous for pregnant women,\u201d she explained. \u201cAlthough it has been present in other parts of the world for decades, awareness in Nigeria remains low. That is why UNICEF is championing this campaign ahead of the vaccine introduction.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Odeyemi disclosed that the vaccination will target children from nine months to 14 years, unlike measles immunisation, which focuses on children from birth to 14 months. \u201cWe want every pregnant woman to know about Rubella so we can protect both their lives and the lives of their babies,\u201d she added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She urged journalists to use their platforms to educate mothers and encourage community participation in the immunisation drive, highlighting that the campaign\u2019s primary goal is to prevent birth defects caused by Rubella infections during pregnancy.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also speaking at the event, the Niger State Commissioner for Primary Health Care (PHC), Dr. Ibrahim Dangana, represented by the State Immunisation Officer, Alhaji Abubakar Kpantu, said the training aimed to prepare key stakeholders for the forthcoming campaign.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He emphasised the need for behavioural change among mothers to curb the disease, adding, \u201cWe aim to reach every household during the vaccination exercise in October. This effort will not only address Rubella but also close immunity gaps against Polio and Measles, while boosting routine immunisation coverage.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dangana noted that, like other vaccines, the Rubella vaccine may have mild side effects but stressed its importance in preventing serious health consequences. He revealed that limited surveillance in Nigeria means Rubella cases are underreported, despite an estimated 100,000 babies being born globally each year with defects linked to the disease.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Tracy Moses The United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over the growing spread of Rubella, describing it as more dangerous than measles due to its devastating effects&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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