UNICEF: Over 1m Nigerian children yet to receive vital vaccines

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says about 1.2 million children in Nigeria are yet to benefit from essential vaccines.

The figure accounts for about six per cent of 20 million children, said to have not been immunised globally.

Speaking at a media dialogue on routine immunisation, post polio certification and COVID-19 vaccination on Wednesday in Adamawa, Folashade Adebayo, UNICEF communications officer, called for urgent efforts to address the situation.

The meeting was organised by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the federal ministry of information and culture, in collaboration with UNICEF.

While raising concern on the need to report more on the poor immunisation rate in Nigeria, Adebayo urged parents to take the issue of immunisation of their children seriously.

“Improving survival and wellbeing of our children matters most here. The direct or underlying cause of 45 percent of all deaths of under-five children is immunisation,” NAN quoted her to have said.

“Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world; 2.7 million other children are wasted. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to contain it are worsening.”

Adebayo urged parents to change the narrative of avoiding vaccination for their children.

She also noted that the government and relevant agencies must play their roles for better results.

As of 2017, according to UNICEF, “Nigeria had the highest number of children under one year of age who missed out on the first dose [of measles vaccine], at nearly 4 million”.

Diseases children are expected to be vaccinated against include poliovirus, whooping cough, measles, and diphtheria — an infection of the throat and tonsils.