Nigerian doctors on Tuesday in Abuja protested the declining immunisation coverage which leaves millions of children vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.
It comes as latest data for immunisation coverage show only about seven in 10 children aged under years two did not get three doses of pentavalent vaccine and only 23 out of every 100 children were fully immunized.
Global target hopes to ensure up to 9 in 10 children get the threshold pentavelent vaccine. But 40 out of every 100 Nigerian children did not receive any vaccine at all.
President of Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Mike Ogirinma, said, “The implication is that a large population of our children particularly under five years of age are unprotected and are therefore at the risk of dying from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, pertusis, tuberculosis
In comments marking Physicians’ Week, he said, “This scary statistic is unacceptable to Nigerian doctors. It is a great danger and threat to the survival of our great nation, as no meaningful development can take place in a society where disease and death is ravaging the potential leaders and our hopes of tomorrow. We must reverse this ugly trend as soon as possible; there is no time to waste.”
The coverage currently at 33% “is not even worth mentioning,” said Chika Offor, of the Vaccine Network, which is part of larger coalition Track Health.
“What it translates to is that a lot of children have died, more people will have polio, tuberculosis, and the Nigerian child will not be fully healthy. And availability of vaccine is staring us in the face. GAVI has provided vaccine, we have no stock out, why are we having low coverage?
Low coverage for immunisation has become a greater worry with rumours about forced vaccination prompting people to reject vaccines. Mop-up vaccination against polio is ongoing in parts of the country, but nearly 15,000 doses of the vaccine have been rejected by parents concerned about harmful vaccine.
“NMA is disturbed,” said Dr Chidozie Achonwa, chairman of the association in FCT.
“We normally celebrate ourselves. But this year, we said, ‘no, we can’t be celebrating ourselves when there is a problem in country. If we are not able to spend money today to prevent diseases, in the next few years, we will be spending huge to treat diseases.”
Mass rejection also hit vaccination against yellow fever in Kwara and Kogi, resulting in waste of billions of naira.
Officials are also worried rumours might impair vaccination campaigns planned for measles, starting this October.
Muhammad Awal, crippled by polio since childhood, sent to a message to parents.
“They should immunise their children, get it free. You don’t want your children to be like me,” he said.
