Stakeholders Urge Parents to Vaccinate Their Children for Better Immunization Coverage
By Simeon Osajie
Parents have been urged to bring their children to the nearest health facility or vaccination post to ensure they receive essential immunizations.
This call was made during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy to review the achievements of the January 2025 vaccination exercise across Edo State’s 18 local government areas.
Dr. Eseigbe Efenmon, Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (EDSPHCDA), expressed satisfaction with the progress made in January. He encouraged stakeholders to build on this success in the second phase of vaccinations scheduled for 17th to 24th February, 2025.
He emphasized that increased manpower in health centers and more awareness campaigns would likely lead to even greater success.
Mac-Fisi Kenneth, a representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and State Facilitator for Social and Behavior Change (SBC), provided a breakdown of the January immunization efforts. He highlighted that the goal is to achieve 65% coverage (3,043,153 children) of zero-dose and under-immunized children aged 12-59 months across Nigeria in the first year.
Kenneth explained that the initiative aims to catch up on immunizations missed during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2022) through outreach programs, mobile services, and expanded immunization efforts.
He noted that the pandemic caused a significant setback in global immunization coverage, making urgent intervention necessary to prevent further disruptions in child health.
The January vaccination exercise, originally planned for 14 local government areas (LGAs), was expanded to 16, including Egor, Orhionmwon, Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha, Akoko-Edo, Owan East, Etsako East, Etsako West, Esan West, Esan South-East, Ovia South-West, Esan Central, Esan North-East, Owan West, Igueben, and Uhunmwonde. The campaign covered 149 wards, with 917 vaccination teams targeting a population of 352,544 children.
State Immunization Officer, Mrs. Irene Utebor called on the media to actively promote vaccine awareness and educate the public on the dangers of non-vaccination. She urged religious, traditional, and community leaders to use their platforms to advocate for immunization, emphasizing its benefits in protecting children’s health.
Utebor also appealed to the government, private sector, and philanthropists to invest in immunization programs, ensuring sustained efforts in protecting children against preventable diseases.
