2.5 million Nigerian children unvaccinated -Paediatricians

On Jan 17, 2024

The Paediatric Association of Nigeria has expressed worry over the alarming rate of zero-dose immunisation in the country, stating that more than 2.5 million Nigerian children are unvaccinated.

The President-elect, PAN, Professor Ekanem Ekure, stated this on Tuesday in Lagos at a press conference tagged: “Reaching every child with optimal care”.

Ekure, a Professor of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said, “Nigeria has the highest burden of under-five deaths in the whole world and it is probably not too surprising when you consider that Nigeria has the highest zero-dose vaccine in the world. 2.5 million children are yet to be immunised. Children have to take vaccines, so, we advocate that parents ensure that children take the vaccine.”

Last year, the World Health Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Mulombo, said an estimated 6.2 million Nigerian children were unvaccinated from 2019 to 2021, due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The consultant paediatric cardiologist said child abuse and starvation were issues preventing children from receiving the best care possible, noting that the association was prepared to leverage advocacy to reach out to children across the nation.

“Malnutrition is another thing we are looking out for in our association. We have a lot of children who are getting malnourished and going to bed hungry. That is another area we need to work on to ensure our children survive and thrive. We have concerns about child abuse in Nigeria and we want it to stop. Some children are killed and kidnapped and some are exposed to child labour. There are a growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, which is alarming. Once children are out of school they are exposed to abuse and addiction which will destroy their lives. Children are the government, society, and the parent’s responsibility.”

Also speaking at the event, the President of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, Professor Oluremi Ogunride, noted that enhancing resource management in the country was crucial to mitigating the brain drain syndrome affecting the health sector in the country.

He added that by the end of the Pediatric Association conference in 2024, the association’s pediatricians would undoubtedly be qualified to take on more supervisory responsibilities to curb health issues in the country.

Oluremi stated “There is a need to improve on the management of our resources to curb the japa syndrome. We all need to encourage ourselves to manage our resources. I am sure by the end of the conference our pediatrician will be able to adopt more supervisory roles. There is a difference between survival and living. We will train our health workers and we intend to continue to educate ourselves, and our health workers. We want our women to have proper antenatal care. The nutrition of the children is more important than the nutrition of the father.”

He urged Anambra, Gombe, Bauchi, Zamfara, and Kano states to adopt and domesticate the Child Rights Act.

PUNCH/Wumi