Bukola Afeni
The World Health Organisation said an estimated 33 million children will need to be vaccinated in Africa between 2023 and 2025 to achieve the 2030 global immunization goals, that include reducing morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti stated this at a media roundtable to mark African Vaccination Week.
Dr Moeti’s speech was read by WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Kazadi Mulombo.
The global health body estimates show 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.
“The figure has risen by 16% between 2019 and 2021 and pushing the cumulative total (2019–2021) to around 33 million, which represents nearly half the global estimate.
She noted that reaching the zero-dose children would require renewed and intensified efforts by Government and partners.
” 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.
“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 a year-long campaign aiming to reverse the serious setbacks in routine immunization”, she said.
Moeti urged stakeholders and media to inform caregivers to take children for routine immunization services at the nearest health facility.
‘We need to create awareness to enable children who missed their immunization schedules to go to the nearest health facility to be assessed and vaccinated appropriately. We should encourage community leaders to take responsibility to organize and participate fully in the conduct of immunization sessions including monitoring the uptake of vaccines in the community
” Traditional and Religious Leaders, as well as Civil Society Groups, should mobilize the community to always demand and access immunization services”, she added.
