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| Dr. Adebayo Adeniji |
The Lagos State Government is to adopt Technology Solutions to enhance access to vaccination, track people who have not immunized their children and serve as a reminder to those who have started so they can complete it.
It will also initiate community health meetings to address challenges that may arise and empower healthcare workers so they can do more.
The Assistant Immunization Programme Coordinator, Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, LSPHCB, Dr. Adebayo Adeniji, made this known at a media dialogue to enhance "Routine Immunization and Reduce Zero Doze Children'', in Lagos.
According to him, vaccines are crucial to a child's survival, adding that once a child misses any of the vaccines, it may lead to great consequences.
Citing an example, Adeniji said the polio vaccine protects a child against paralysis and death; "if a child misses this crucial vaccine, it could lead to paralysis, permanent disability or death ".
Dr. Adebayo called on the residents to embrace immunization as it increases productivity and saves lives.
On his part, the Immunization Focal Person, Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization, LSPHCB, Dr Ayoade Shoboyejo noted that Lagos State is targeting 80 per cent of the state population on yellow fever vaccination from nine months to 44 years.
He said: ‘’We are targeting 80 per cent of Lagos State population. This exercise is very important. We are expected to cover about 80 per cent of the entire population in Lagos State. It is a huge task for us.
"We want the media to help us amplify our voices to curb the misconception about vaccination''. Shobayejo stressed
Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Field Office for Southwest Nigeria, who addressed some journalists from the Southwest and Edo States, virtually expressed dismay that 2.3 million children still have not received any form of vaccine in Nigeria.
To address the challenge, Lafoucriere said UNICEF is working with the governments and partners to achieve 15 per cent immunization at the 100 prioritized local government areas across 18 states with the highest concentration of zero dose children, noting that, more than 30 per cent would be added to the reduction by 2025.
The UNICEF Chief said, ''I am coming to you this morning with sad news. We still have a very pressing challenge in Nigeria where 2.3 million children still have received no vaccine at all".
‘’You will remember that UNICEF referred to those children as zero-dose children. They are mostly in marginalized and hard-to-reach areas and vaccination remains very essential to their health and fundamental to every child and remains fundamental to improving the health outcome and reducing inequality.
‘’She said and I quote, "To address this in Nigeria, UNICEF together with the governments and valued partners like you, we have prioritized 100 local government areas across 18 states with the highest concentration of those zero dose children like Lagos as we are right now in Lagos in collaboration with you".
We need to join hands to accelerate the rate of immunization in Nigeria. What we want to do is very simple, we want to ensure that by each year, we increase the rate of vaccinating children by 15 per cent.
Lafoucriere called on the media to catalyze action and share successes with UNICE, saying, "We can build a resilient health system that is capable of reaching each and every child, leaving no one behind no matter where they live to ensure that no child in Nigeria is suffering from preventable diseases’’.
The theme: ''Achieving the Health Sector SDGs for over Two million Children at Risk of Death in Nigeria.
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