According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 6.2 million Nigerian children are considered unvaccinated, which is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic’s detrimental effects from 2019 to 2021.
At a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja to commemorate the African Vaccination Week (AVW) and World Immunisation Week with the theme “The Big Catch-Up,” Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said this.
“The Big Catch-Up is essentially a 12-month initiative to make up for significant declines in routine immunisation.
We recognise the government’s ongoing efforts to reduce the amount of Type 2 Variant Poliovirus in circulation by 83 per cent.
Also a significant feat in sustaining certification for the eradication of Wild Polio Virus in Nigeria,’’ she said.
Dr Walter Mulombo, WHO National Representative to Nigeria, spoke on behalf of Moeti, who anticipated that between 2023 and 2025, 33 million children in Africa would need vaccinations.
She claims that doing so will put the continent back on pace to meet the 2030 global immunisation targets, which include lowering the morbidity and mortality rates from diseases that are preventable by vaccination.
“The COVID-19 pandemic’s extraordinary impact on routine immunisation programmes has increased the number of zero-dose and under-immunised children in the Africa Region, WHO estimates.
The effects increased by 16% between 2019 and 2021, bringing the overall number to almost 33 million, or about half of the global estimate.
About 6.2 million children in Nigeria were unvaccinated between 2019 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
She claims that in order to reach the kids, governments and allies will need to step up their efforts.
According to Moeti, WHO held a high-level gathering during the African Union Conference in February 2023 to spur on the necessary commitments.
African Heads of State approved a resolution during the summit that aims to improve and expand routine immunisation across the continent.
She added that urgent action needed to be taken to alleviate ongoing bottlenecks in the vaccine and healthcare delivery systems.
The day, according to the regional director, was a global drive by WHO and partners to restore and enhance routine immunisation programmes as well as to increase efforts to contact children who missed vaccines.
The National Primary Health Care Agency and the government were proactive in putting into place the Measles and Yellow Fever Supplemental Immunization Activities, the Optimized Outreach Sessions, and the integration of routine immunisation during COVID-19 vaccination.
They are essential for lowering a large number of unvaccinated children in Nigeria and are in line with the celebration’s theme for the AVW in 2023.
The introduction of the HPV vaccination and the malaria vaccine into routine immunisation for unvaccinated children in 2023 and 2024 is commendable.
She explained, “This is because it aligns with developing a life-course platform for immunisation for the most benefit from vaccination.
According to Moeti, the event necessitated the full engagement of all significant stakeholders, including the media, in order to encourage parents to bring their children to the nearby health facility for routine immunisation procedures.
She urged the media to raise awareness so that children who missed their immunisation appointments could visit the closest medical facility to be evaluated and properly immunised.
She asserts that it is crucial to motivate local leaders to take charge of organising immunisation sessions and participating fully in their execution, including keeping track of the community’s vaccination rate.
“We need to support civil society organisations that work with traditional and religious leaders to mobilise the community to constantly seek and use immunisation programmes.
“The media should let them know that vaccine is safe and effective against vaccine-preventable diseases,’’ she said.
The regional director stated that in order to achieve successful planning, the organisation’s support for AVW included encouraging Nigeria’s full involvement in the Regional Working Group for Catch-up.
She added that it would also guarantee resource mobilisation for the 20 nations in the region with a high burden of unvaccinated children.
From 2015, the WHO has released a revised immunisation schedule to support the “Big Catch-up,” which enables children who have missed their vaccinations to receive the right immunisations in a safe manner.
“This is one of more than 15 policies and plans offered to nations, including Nigeria.
Additionally, we are assisting the NPHCDA in its collaboration with 36 states and the FCT to create specialised techniques for interacting with zero dose and unimmunized children.
She claims that the WHO has given the “Big Catch-up” and the Zero Dose agenda top priority in all the states and Local Government Areas.