Africa needs to immunize 33 million children between 2023 – 2025 to achieve 2030 global immunization goals says WHO

6.2million Nigerian children missed all routine immunization (zero dose) between 2019- 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic

About 33 million children will need to be vaccinated in Africa between 2023 and 2025 to put the continent back on track to achieve the 2030 global immunization goals that include reducing morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Meanwhile, about 6.2 million children in Nigeria did not receive any single routine immunization (zero dose) between 2019 to 2022 due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Mulombo who disclosed this yesterday at the WHO Medial Round Table on the African Vaccination Week celebration 2023 in Abuja, said that the plan to introduce malaria vaccine in routine immunization in Nigeria, and Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) in 2023 and 2024 are commendable as it aligns with establishing a life-course platform for immunization for an optimum dividend from vaccination.

Mulombo stated that vaccines are safe and effective against vaccine-preventable diseases adding that the WHO since 2015 issued revised immunization schedules to support the “Big Catch-up” where children who have missed being vaccinated can be safely vaccinated with appropriate vaccines which is part of over 15 guidelines and strategies issued to countries including Nigeria.

He said that the WHO estimates showed that the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine immunization services has driven up the number of zero-dose and under-immunized children in the African region, rising by 16% between 2019 and 2021 and pushing the cumulative total (2019–2021) to around 33 million, which represents nearly half the global estimate.

According to him, ” Reaching these children would require renewed and intensified efforts by Government and partners adding that in order to galvanize the commitments required, WHO conducted a high-level event during the African Union Summit in February 2023, where African heads of state endorsed a declaration aimed at revamping and scaling up routine immunization across the continent and implementing urgent measures to address persistent bottlenecks in vaccine and health care delivery systems.

He said, “To realize this declaration, this year African Vaccination Week and World Immunization Week, from 24–30 April, with the theme “The Big Catch-Up” has been announced. This is a global push by WHO and partners to intensify efforts to reach children who missed vaccinations, as well as to restore and strengthen routine immunization programmes. “The Big Catch Up” is actually a year-long campaign aiming to reverse the serious setbacks in routine immunization.

Mulombo noted that an 83% reduction in the circulating Variant of Polio Virus type 2 is a significant feat in sustaining certification for the eradication of Wild Polio Virus in Nigeria.

“The proactiveness of the Government of Nigeria and the National Primary Health Care Agency for implementing the Optimized Outreach Sessions, integration of Routine Immunization during COVID-19 vaccination, Measles and Yellow Fever Supplementary Immunization Activities. These are key for the reduction in the high burden of zero-dose children in Nigeria and align with the theme for the 2023 African Vaccination Week celebration. Supporting Nigeria’s full participation in the Reginal Working Group for Catch-up to ensure effective planning and resource mobilization for the 20 countries with a high burden of zero dose children in the region”.

Mulombo further revealed that the global health body is supporting the NPHCDA engagement with 36states and the FCT to develop tailored strategies to reach zero dose and unimmunized children stressing that thebWHO has prioritised technical support for Zero Dose agenda and the Big Catch-up” in all state and LGAs.

He noted that this year’s African Vaccination Week requires the full participation of all key stakeholders including the media to communicate with caregivers to take children for routine immunization services at the nearest health facility, create awareness to enable children who missed their immunization schedules to go to the nearest health facility to be assessed and vaccinated appropriately.

Mulombo urged community leaders to take responsibility to organize and participate fully in the conduct of immunization sessions including monitoring uptake of vaccines in the communities and also appealed to Traditional and Religious Leaders as well as Civil Society Groups to mobilize the community to always demand and access immunization services.