The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has blamed myths, disinformation, misinformation and rumours for poor immunization uptake in Nigeria, thereby exposing children to high risk and avoidable deaths.
The agency lamented that uptake had not been optimal despite immunisation’s proven safety, efficacy, and availability of vaccines.
The Chief UNICEF Field Officer, Mr Rahama RM Farah, stated these in a welcome address during a media dialogue on routine immunization and the Zero dose campaign held in Kano.
He explained that immunization as a single, most cost-effective, and high-impact intervention which protects children against illness and death caused by vaccine-preventable diseases should be taken seriously.
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He further stated that the National Immunization Coverage Survey results had shown that over the years, Nigeria had made progress in immunization coverage, but gaps were still existing.
“For instance, in the three states of the North West of Nigeria: Kano, Katsina and Jigawa, there are over 600,000 children who have not been vaccinated against childhood killer diseases. This is closer to about 40% of the total unimmunized children in Nigeria,” he revealed.
