By Vincess Okushi
The World Health Organization Representative in Nigeria Dr. Walter Mulombo has urged religious leaders to scale up vaccination efforts to meet 2.1 million unvaccinated children in Nigeria
He made the call during a meeting with the National Traditional Leaders Committee (NTLC) on 23rd September 2024 in Abuja.
Dr. Walter, while commending The committee for their relentless contribution to the Fight Against Polio and other Health Challenges, said more is needed to increased antenatal service uptake, health facility deliveries, and ongoing zero-dose mapping to ensure the safety of all Nigerians.
The country representative noted that Religious leaders and the National Traditional Leaders Committee (NTLC) are at the forefront of accelerating quality primary health care delivery across Nigeria, stressing that their role is crucial to combating community-based challenges that affect the health of women and children, including the ongoing circulating Variant Polio Virus type 2 (cVPV2) outbreak.
As of 13 September 2024, Nigeria has reported 70 cases of cVPV2 across 14 states. However, the response is progressing steadily, bolstered by a highly sensitive Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) Surveillance system, with a remarkable surveillance rate and stool sample collection rate of 98%.
This has been achieved through the implementation of enhanced surveillance improvement plans, reflecting the country’s commitment to overcoming this outbreak.
Vaccination efforts have seen significant progress, with the quality of activities improving from 87% in March to 95% in April 2024, despite global vaccine supply challenges. To bridge the gaps, innovative interventions such as the Identify, Enumerate, and Vaccinate (IEV) strategy, targeted local responses, and In-between Rounds activities are being deployed to reach chronically missed and under-vaccinated populations.
Despite these achievements, challenges persist. Nigeria still faces significant health gaps, including maternal and under-five mortality rates and low health facility deliveries among pregnant women.
Your advocacy and leadership are invaluable as we tackle these challenges.
Dr. Walter however, reteirates the WHO’s continued support to building a healthier Nigeria.