77 in 100 children not immunised

A survey of immunisation coverage found only 23 out of every 100 children aged were fully immunised last year, leaving 77% without full cover. Only one out of three children received all doses of needed vaccines, according to the National Immunisation Coverage Survey released in Abuja this week. Just 31 in 100 children received only […]

A survey of immunisation coverage found only 23 out of every 100 children aged were fully immunised last year, leaving 77% without full cover.

Only one out of three children received all doses of needed vaccines, according to the National Immunisation Coverage Survey released in Abuja this week.

Just 31 in 100 children received only one dose; another 40 in 100 children did not receive any vaccine even though they live near a health facility.

Coverage for routine immunisation was lowest in the northeast and northwest zones, where every state fell below 50% of full immunisation.

Abdullahi Garba, director of planning, research and statistics at FMOH, said immunisation coverage "varied across Nigeria but improvements are needed in every state."

The coverage falls below goals set in the Global Vaccination Action Plan to ensure at least 90 in 100 children get all required vaccines.

Low coverage put "a substantial number of children at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases."

Yusuf Yusufari, country officer for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which sponsored the survey, said, “Nigerian government has to take over ownership of immunization in the country.

"The government, health workers and partners must be held accountable for routine immunisation.

“By accountability, I mean the Nigerian government has procured 100 percent of vaccines required to vaccinate our children but the result is telling us only a few have been vaccinated. What is happening to other vaccines?

“This means that there is a lot of inefficiency in the system or a lot of inaccurate reporting, so we all need to be accountable."