Abuja, 09 May 2016 - The African Vaccination Week (AVW) ended in Nigeria with World Health Organization (WHO) calling on the Federal and State Governments to improve immunization and surveillance activities in conflict affected areas of the North East and at international borders. This call was made by the WHO Country Representative (WR) Dr Rui Gama Vaz at the official launch of the AVW in Abuja.

Under the theme, “Close the immunization gap, stay polio free”, this year’s AVW focused on immunizing children in security compromised local government areas (LGAs) of Borno State and low population immunity LGAs of Oyo State. In addition to childhood immunization, maternal and child survival interventions were also provided to internally displaced populations in Borno State.

60% of Ministry of Health budget allocated to NPHCDA

At the breakfast meeting organized by National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for donor and partner agencies, the Minister of Health, Professor  Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, disclosed that the federal government was ever ready to match the $80 million BMGF grant support to immunization in Nigeria. The Minister further revealed that 60% of the annual Ministry of Health budget will be allocated to NPHCDA to improve routine immunization, rehabilitate health facilities and make functional PHC under one roof strategy where health facilities are able to provide a one stop service to clients.

Speaking at the occasion, the WHO Country Representative, Dr Rui Gama Vaz, while urging the government and partners to close the immunization gap in the North and South of Nigeria, said “Nigeria’s international borders will need to be fortified by ensuring children at borders are protected from Vaccine Preventable Diseases and surveillance activities that enhance the timely reporting of AFP cases and other diseases of public health importance”.

Maximizing tOPV to close immunity gaps before the Switch in Oyo State

Using trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) / bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV), children and women of child bearing age were immunized in poor performing local government areas of Oyo state. Three LGAs of Ibarapa East, Ibarapa North and Oyo West involved in African Vaccination Week (AVW) immunization exercise with over 18,694 women and children reached through 60 vaccination posts used for the week to provide free immunization services in the three selected LGAs.

Targeting the most vulnerable communities in the conflict affected state of Borno

The state capital, Maiduguri has a very large number of Internally Displaced Population in camps and with host families from all over Borno; the North Eastern State mostly affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

The Deputy Governor of Borno, His Excellency Alhaji Usman Mamman Durkwa flagged off and welcomed the AVW week immunization activities that will complement ongoing free immunization services being provided by the state government in collaboration with development partner agencies in the IDP camps.

WHO EPI Team Leader, Dr Fiona Braka, who represented the WHO Representative to Nigeria, urged the state government to scale up the implementation of special interventions to the recently accessible areas of the state in order to further close immunity gaps and reduce the existing risk to communicable disease outbreaks. 

She thanked the State government for the high level state funding commitment to immunization at state and LGA levels. She underscored the importance of continued engagement across political parties; with traditional and religious leaders; and with civil society groups.

Speaking to journalists after the flag off event, the Honorable Commissioner for Health Dr Haruna Mshelia disclosed that the state government plans to rehabilitate training health institutions destroyed during the insurgency period. This he believes will fill the gap in human resources for health. 

The seven days campaign which ended on Sunday 1 May recorded the immunization of 41,457 children with OPV, 2,572 children with measles vaccine and 1,608 children with Pentavalent vaccine.

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For more information, please contact:

Dr Fiona Braka; Tel: +234 703 170 5252; Email:  brakaf [at] who.int
Dr Rachel Seruyange; Tel: +234 810 221 0092; Email:  seruyanger [at] who.int
Ms  Kulchumi Hammanyero; Tel: +234 803 632 7360; Email:  hammanyerok [at] who.int