Recent data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) shows that Nigeria has not seen an increase in immunisation rates over the past four years, lagging behind pre-pandemic levels from 2019. This stagnation has left several children without crucial protection. Vaccine coverage has varied significantly since 2020, with none of the 15 Vaccines on the national immunisation schedule reaching 90 percent coverage. Rates have ranged from as low as 12 percent to a high of 74 percent. In 2023, even with the implementation of RotaC, a novel vaccine launched in 2022 that reached a 49 percent coverage rate, vaccine coverage still ranged from 38 percent to 74 percent.
According to recent trends, UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell pointed out that many countries still fail to reach a notable number of children. Bridging the immunisation divide necessitates a collaborative worldwide initiative, with governments, allies, and community leaders allocating resources to primary healthcare and community health workers to guarantee that all children are immunised and overall healthcare is enhanced. Research has shown that the global immunisation coverage indicator, the rate of children who have completed the three recommended doses of the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) vaccine in 2023, remained at 62 percent.
Efforts are ongoing across the country to boost and improve immunisation.
The level was significantly below the global average of 84 percent and the average for all WCAR countries, which stood at 69 percent, with a difference of 22 percentage points and seven percentage points, respectively. In 2020, the country’s national DTP3 coverage declined 4 percentage points from the previous year, reaching a rate of 66 percent. As a result, there was a 3 percent reduction in children receiving the DTP3 vaccine. The nation ranked fourth among 24 countries for lowest DTP3 coverage in 2023 and also ranked among the top 10 nations with the highest number of children lacking vaccines or under-vaccinated.
In 2023, despite a four percent increase in surviving infants leading to 300,000 more babies staying alive, there was a decline of 100,000 children receiving vaccines compared to 2019. To improve vaccine coverage, the WHO and UNICEF recommend that the number of vaccinated children outpace the population’s growth rate. Muhammad Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, stated that the continuous improvement of the healthcare system aligns with the goals of the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Program. He emphasised the importance of improving regular immunisation and decreasing the number of children not receiving any vaccines by working closely with state governments and traditional leaders to enhance the health outcomes of the general population.
High dropout rates reflect poor vaccine series completion for children.
They will work as a unified team to enhance governance, increase transparency and accountability, and tackle fiscal decentralisation following the nation’s federal structure. In a statement regarding the country’s collaboration with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance team emphasised that they will prioritise engaging citizens in decision-making and implementation to align the healthcare system with the population’s needs. The percentage of girls who received the first (HPV1) and the last (HPVc) in the programme was 27 percent in 2023. Of children who got DTP1 in 2023, 11 percent missed out on getting DTP3, and 14 percent missed out on getting MCV1.
Furthermore, the report suggests that the high dropout rates for DTP indicate a lack of success in administering the full series of early childhood vaccines. Similarly, the high dropout rates for DTP-MCV suggest a failure to successfully maintain immunisation schedules and deliver a complete set of vaccines during infancy within the first year of life. In 2023, the country had higher dropout rates for DTP and DTP-MCV than the global average. MCV2 coverage was only 38 percent, with ROTAC slightly higher at 49 percent during the same year. In 2019, six vaccines saw coverage decrease, while two increased. Fast-forward to 2022, and coverage remained stable for eight vaccines, with only one vaccine experiencing an increase.
Related Article: Nigeria has 2.3 million unvaccinated children
Across the world, over half of children who have not received vaccinations reside in 31 nations that are struggling with fragility, conflict, and vulnerability. These settings leave children at a high risk of preventable diseases due to disturbances and limited availability of security, nutrition, and healthcare services. Inadequately, 6.5 million children failed to receive the crucial third dose of the DTP vaccine, which is essential for building immunity in infancy and early childhood. The lack of progress in global immunisation coverage since 2022, where rates have stalled and failed to reach pre-2019 levels, highlights the persistent challenges posed by healthcare service disruptions, logistical limitations, vaccine hesitancy, and disparities in service accessibility.