…reiterates commitment to Nigeria health sector, urges stakeholders on routine immunization
By Adeyinka Adeniran
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it is targeting an annual vaccination of at least 15 percent rise for children who have not had any dose of immunization also called zero-dose children, with a focus to have reached 30 percent more vaccinated children by 2025.
Reiterating her commitment to supporting Nigeria’s health sector, the Agency called for a concerted effort from stakeholders in enhancing routine immunisation coverage and reduce zero dose children.
Chief of UNICEF Field Office for the Southwest, Celine Lafoucriere gave the charge while addressing journalists during a dialogue on “Achieving the Health Sector SDGs for over two million children at risk of death in Nigeria: A media dialogue to enhance routine immunization and to reduce zero doze children.”
The dialogue held in collaboration with the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board.
Zero-dose prevalence refers to children who did not receive any routine vaccination.
She lamented that about 2.3million Nigerian children predominantly in the marginalized, hard-to-reach areas were unvaccinated, hence the need for concerted efforts among stakeholders to enhance routine immunization and reduce zero-dose children.
She said vaccines remain essential to children’s health as they remain an essential fundamental right to every child and fundamental to improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities.
She added that UNICEF in partnership with the government had prioritised 100 local government across 18 states with the highest concentration of zero dose children in increasing the immunization uptake.
The UNICEF Southwest boss solicited the support of the media organizations to raise awareness about importance of vaccines, address the misconception as well as encourage vaccines through their reportage.
Lafoucriere said, “Media friends, I’m coming to you unfortunately today with a very sad news. We still have a very pressing challenge in Nigeria where 2.3 million children still have received no vaccines at all.
“You’ll remember that in UNICEF we call those children zero-dose children. They are mostly in marginalized areas, hard-to-reach areas and vaccines remain essential to their health. They remain an essential fundamental right to every child and they remain fundamental to improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities.
“To address this in Nigeria, UNICEF together with the government and valued partners like yourself, we have prioritized 100 LGAs across 18 states with the highest concentration of those zero-dose children that need us. They need us right now and in collaboration with you, with yourselves, we now need to join hands to accelerate the rate of immunization in Nigeria. What we want to do is very simple.
“We want to ensure that by each year we increase the rate of vaccinated children by 15 percent. We need to have reached 30 percent more vaccinated children by 2025. This cannot be done without you and we count on you to join hands with us today and make sure that we can leverage your influence.
“Your influence is very important. You can catalyze actions and you can share successes with us. By working collectively, we can build a resilient health system that is capable of reaching each and every child and even leaving no one behind, no matter where they live, to ensure that no child in Nigeria is suffering from preventable diseases.”
In her presentation, UNICEF Social Behavior Change Communication Specialist, Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole emphasized the importance of immunisation in saving millions lives, stressing the need for the governments to intensify their efforts toward achieving universal immunization coverage.
She lamented that low uptake of immunization was fueling child mortality rate in the country, adding that spread of rumours about routine immunization, limited access to healthcare facilities, inadequate funding and cultural barriers were the challenges hampering universal immunization in the country.
Also speaking, Assistant Immunisation Programme Officer, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Adeniji Adebayo harped on the urgent need for every child to be fully immunised.
He expressed the readiness of the Lagos State to vaccinate a total of 21 million residents representing 85% of the state population from nine to 44 years against Yellow fever.
Adebayo noted that the exercise would be conducted between October 17 and November 2, 2024 adding that the state government would deploy 14,000 health workers to ensure hitch-free vaccination.
He charged parents to avail themselves of the opportunity provided by the state government to get their children vaccinated against preventable illness.
