Nigeria: 61.5 Million Nigerians Vaccinated Against Malaria, Yellow Fever, Hpv, Others - Official

The HPV vaccine is available for free in primary health care facilities across Nigeria. This is part of the national immunisation schedule.

On Tuesday, the federal government announced that 61.5 million Nigerians have been vaccinated since October 2023. Most of these vaccinations were for children against measles, yellow fever, HPV, malaria, and Mpox. Muyi Aina, Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), shared this information at a press conference in Abuja.

During the 2024 campaigns, 25.9 million children received measles vaccines in 26 states. Additionally, 22.5 million children were vaccinated against yellow fever in Lagos, Yobe, and Borno states. Mr. Aina also mentioned that Nigeria controlled a cholera outbreak in eight states through vaccination efforts.

The agency aims to improve health campaigns to address gaps in routine immunisation coverage. They mapped nearly 540,000 settlements nationwide to enhance their outreach efforts.

Using data from previous polio campaigns, they tracked and vaccinated over 851,000 under-five children across high-risk wards for polio. The goal is to ensure no child remains unimmunised.

To reach hard-to-access areas, the agency has improved last-mile vaccine delivery in several states with help from security agencies. The government is also investing in vaccine security by enhancing cold chain systems.

This includes completing a vaccine hub in Lagos and building another facility in Kano with UNICEF's support. They are procuring 1,653 solar-powered refrigerators to improve vaccine storage at primary health care levels.

Mr. Aina announced three new vaccines: HPV, malaria, and Mpox vaccines were introduced recently. The HPV vaccine targets girls aged nine to 14 years and was launched in October 2023 and May 2024.

So far, over 13 million adolescent girls have received the HPV vaccine across all states and the FCT. This vaccine is crucial for eliminating cervical cancer as it is highly effective when administered properly.

Nigeria began rolling out the R21 malaria vaccine in phases starting in 2024 for children most affected by malaria—specifically Kebbi and Bayelsa states. To date, they have vaccinated over 101,000 children from one million doses received.

There were challenges with supply constraints during this rollout process but progress continues steadily. Additionally, about 4,306 people have received Mpox vaccines across seven states.

Mr. Aina announced that the next round of polio vaccinations will start on April 26th in northern states and May 3rd in southern regions. However, he expressed concern about ongoing cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type two (cVPV2).

In total for this year so far, Nigeria has reported 17 cVPV2 cases across eight states' local government areas (LGAs). Twelve cases involved Acute Flaccid Paralysis while five were found at environmental sites indicating active virus transmission remains a concern.

To combat this issue effectively, strategic shifts are being made within critical components of the polio campaign including team selection and accountability measures.

Walter Mulombo from WHO emphasized that immunisation is a human right essential to primary health care during his speech at the event. He noted that immunisation prevents millions of diseases each year globally.

He highlighted that future immunisation efforts must protect vulnerable populations such as infants from malaria or pregnant women from tetanus while ensuring all children receive necessary vaccinations like HPV or measles shots.

African Vaccination Week occurs annually from April 24-30 as part of World Immunisation Week with a theme focused on universal access to immunisations for all individuals.