UNICEF warns of decline in vaccine coverage urges Nigeria to strengthen routine vaccination

UNICEF warns of decline in vaccine coverage urges Nigeria to strengthen routine vaccination

By Prudence Ijah

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has warned of an alarming decline in global vaccine coverage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN agency said the pandemic is disrupting the delivery and uptake of immunization services around the world.

UNICEF’s representative to Nigeria Mr. Peter Hawkins, in a statement said this  is a critical moment for Nigeria’s children, adding that we can either seize it – or condemn millions of children to preventable illness or even death,”.

According to Hawkins, Nigeria is facing a critical moment of choice, wherein children can either be protected from a host of preventable diseases  – or face an uncertain future and possibly dire health prospects.

Global disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are threatening to reverse hard-won progress in immunization rates worldwide, according to new data by WHO and UNICEF.

At stake is critical progress made over the last decades in reaching more children and adolescents with a wider range of vaccines, including in Nigeria. However, despite this progress, Nigeria still contributes 30 percent of the global number of unimmunized children between the ages of 0 and 5.

“We have a long way to go to ensure greater protection for children against disease – and vaccination rates, including against the highly contagious and deadly measles virus, are in danger of lapsing,” said Peter Hawkins.

“Let’s seize this moment to reimagine how we bring vaccinations to children, leveraging on existing community structures for COVID-19 prevention, to improve vaccination rates too – and ensure a brighter and healthier future for Nigeria’s children.”

The global vaccination coverage rate with the third dose of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) has plateaued at 85 per cent since 2010. In Nigeria, numbers show that routine immunizations in the first 6 months of 2020 have dropped compared to the same period in 2019 – indicating a deterioration in important routine vaccination coverage, due to COVID-19.

“No Nigerian child should die from a preventable disease that can be easily prevented with an affordable vaccine that is readily available within our borders. Let us not let COVID-19 distract us from the work we still need to do to ensure that EVERY Nigerian children receives their full routine immunizations,” said Peter Hawkins