THE recent revelation by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Funds (UNICEF) Social Behaviour Communication Specialist Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, that 2.3 million children in Nigeria were yet to receive vaccines is an indication of the low uptake of immunisation in the country.
This has contributed to the high rate of mortality among children across the country. Access to routine immunisation is a potent public health tool for improving child survival as a basic right of children, but it is far removed from children, particularly those born in extremely rural and remote areas in Nigeria.
Despite the milestone earlier accomplished over the years, Nigeria is still faced with low uptake of immunisation. The country had all along been operating the immunization schedule of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, which prescribes five visits to receive one dose of Bacille Calmette Guerin(BCG), four doses of oral diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus vaccine, and one dose of measles vaccine. Gratifyingly, in the last decade, in addition to providing the routine immunisation programme, four new vaccines; pneumococcal, Hib, HPV and Men5CV, have been introduced in the quest to reduce the effects of zero-dose children.
Unarguably, the UNICEF’s report underscores the need for intensification of efforts to reduce the number of zero-dose children.
Doing so will enable the country to reap the benefits of immunisation which boosts the good health and survival of children, lowers the incidence of disease, and less frequent visits to the hospital, including bringing children and families into contact with health systems, as well as providing an avenue for the delivery of other health services and laying the foundation for primary health care.
The report under discourse is a sad commentary because the low immunisation rate has made many children more vulnerable to preventable diseases, such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and measles, amongst others, which has exacerbated infant morbidity and mortality among children under five years.
To avert the challenges posed by the increase in zero-dose children, we call on the federal, state, and local governments to improve funding of the health sector to address the financial gap in immunisation to reduce zero-dose children. The Federal Government’s allocation of N1.3 trillion, which is 4.6 percent of the 2024 fiscal year budget to Nigeria’s health sector, deviates significantly from the 2001 Abuja Declaration recommendation, which made it imperative for African countries to allocate a minimum of 15 percent of their budget to the health sector. The 4.6 percent allocation raises concerns about meeting the healthcare needs of the nation, especially given the persisting challenges faced by the health sector.
Adequate funding will not only improve infrastructure, health workforce training, supply chain management, and community engagement but will also promote an efficient healthcare system that would ensure the availability and accessibility of vaccines and improve overall immunisation coverage in rural areas. Improved funding is very to addressing limited access to health care facilities.
Beyond funding, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) should intensify enlightenment campaigns in rural areas, as mothers in rural areas have low knowledge of vaccine-preventable diseases and routine immunisation, which affects their uptake of immunisation. Efforts should also be geared towards dispelling rumors and misinformation about routine immunisation.
To boost immunisation, there was also the need for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to enhance routine immunisation and reduce zero-dose children. This is because reaching zero-dose children requires locating them and engaging the communities where they live. Since such communities often include remote rural, urban poor, or conflict-affected areas facing various forms of deprivation, robust collaboration is needed to identify and reach them.
The NPHCDA should, based on national interest, deepen its engagement with local government areas in the country to design and implement customized and effective strategies to reach zero-dose children in settings unique to each community and local government to boost immunisation and reduce the high number of children in Nigeria who are yet to receive vaccines.
