Kaduna SPHCA moves to improve routine immunisation

By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna

Kaduna State Primary Health Care Agency (SPHCA) yesterday took drastic measures to shore up the gap in routine immunisation coverage and address the failure noticed in the programme in the state.
This followed the declaration of state of emergency on routine immunisation by the Federal Ministry of Health after an independent assessment report showed varying wide gap between perceived and actual coverage of the routine immunisation programme nationally and in the various states in the North. The perceived coverage nationally was 80 per cent but it was actually 33 per cent.
Deputy Director, Kaduna SPHCA, Hamza Ikara, in an interactive session with health reporters in Kaduna state yesterday highlighted inadequate awareness campaigns which contributed 51 per cent, mistrust and fear, 22 per cent and service delivery related issues, 16 percent, lack of time or other family issues, 14 per cent and child illness, 1 per cent as major reasons that led to the gap in routine in the immunisation coverage in the state.
Other states in the Northwest didn’t fare better as Kano recorded 16 per cent, Jigawa, 16 percent, and Sokoto, 3 per cent.
What this means is that, more than 50 per cent of the targeted children were unable to receive the vaccine within the period under review which is not good enough for Nigerian children.
He said, “Kaduna is one of the worst states in the North-west in routine immunisation because 51 per cent of targeted population are not aware of what we are doing in routine immunisation. Due to what we have been able to achieve in polio across the country, we are moving from polio immunization to routine immunization. We have a big gap in these areas which we must collectively address as national call.”
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dangote Foundation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kaduna state government to support vaccination of children in the state within four years.

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