Though Nigeria has improved her immunisation coverage over the last few years, the challenges still stare us in the face. For example, in 2010, DPT3 coverage in the country was 69 percent compared to the African average of 67 percent(WHO-UNICEF 2012), and the under-five mortality rate stands at 143 per 1,000 live births, with more than half of these occurring from vaccine-preventable diseases (UNICEF 2012).
Nigeria remains one of the only three countries in the world that is yet to interrupt endemic polio and achieve polio eradication. The country is responsible for 95 percent of polio burden in Africa. Between January 1 and November 9, 2012, Nigeria reported 101 cases of wild poliovirus (WPV) in 11 states.
In 2011, 50 WPV cases were reported in eight states within the same time frame. Katsina, Kano, and Kaduna states accounted for than 60 percent of these cases in 2012. Six vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2(VDPV2) cases were reported in two states as at November 9, 2012, and 32 cases were reported in nine states for the same period in 2011.
If polio is to be eradicated from Nigeria like other countries did, then Nigeria must take responsibility for establishing good governance and providing effective immunisation services to her citizens. It is the responsibility of individuals, community and government to make this work because immunisation against vaccine-preventable diseases is a collective responsibility.
For Oyewole Tomori, a professor and president elect, Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), “Nigeria is a risk to neighbouring countries who do not have polio.” Even though the vaccine may be available, sadly, there are political issues associated with it and that is why a committee was set up to look at immunisation issues in Nigeria. The committee will recommend proper solutions to bodies concerned and taking this further, they plan to have a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss this. The committee is called NAS Vaccines and Immunisation Advisory Committee and Tomori is the chairman.
According to Tomori, “When we had flood issues, the President spoke about this and set up a committee to raise more money. Every oil company has donated millions of dollars to this cause perhaps because the oil companies know what they are doing. I have never heard the President come up to say they are raising money for polio. Bill Gates started the leadership challenge where he challenged the governors in Nigeria to eradicate polio. All the governors that signed did something for their states even though they all couldn’t win at the same time.
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“There was a lot of commitment with the governors in the North but a State in the south came first. The people in the South made up their minds that it was going to work, not necessarily the government alone that made it work, they made up their minds to vaccinate their children with or without the government’s support and that was why the prize came to the South.
“It only means that both the government and individuals have to come together to make this polio eradication work. I don’t think it is Bill Gates that should be the one to remind us of eradication, something that is with us in our country. The President doesn’t have to wait for Ban Ki Moon to talk about polio before he responds to the challenges,” Tomori concluded.
This week is World Immunisation Week (April 24-30), and more than 300 global leaders, health and development experts, vaccinators, celebrities, philanthropists, and business leaders recently came together in Abu Dhabi, to attend the first Global Vaccine Summit and to endorse the critical role that vaccines and immunisation play in giving children a healthy start to life.
Muhammad Pate, minister of State for Health, Nigeria, appeared on a high-level panel, “The First Step: The Roadmap to Global Polio Eradication.”
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, delivered a keynote to celebrate progress and honour the individuals, communities, partners and nations that have made success possible.
“Vaccines work to save lives and protect children for a lifetime,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “By investing in stronger immunisation systems, we can protect our gains against polio and reach mothers and children with other health services.”
“Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent disease and safeguard young lives,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “The global success so far in fighting polio shows how far we can advance. Our great progress came thanks to an international alliance of partners. Today, we have a window of opportunity to end polio forever.”
Summit attendees, including ministers of health, front-line healthcare workers, international non-governmental organisations and donors, discussed how the global community can assure that children everywhere have access to vaccines, how the roadmap to polio eradication works, and the opportunities afforded by new vaccine and delivery innovations
The Global Vaccine Summit is being held in partnership with His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
