Image Credit: The Daily Times
Ihesiulo Grace
DOOSUUR IWAMBE in this report give the account of parents who initially rejected immunization due to ignorance, thinking that their children will come down with complications from the vaccines but changed their mind after sensitization by health workers.
Eight-year-old Halima Tanko went to bed one night healthy and strong. By morning, she had lost her ability to walk. Scared, her mother Mrs Hannatu Tanko took her to a traditional healer, who said an evil spirit had attacked her daughter and applied some herbs.
Mrs Hannatu Tanko and her husband Alhaji Sagir Tanko are from Jimeta, town, Adamawa state in North -eastern Nigeria. Before her daughter took ill, she had refused all attempts to vaccinate her child. Mrs Hannatu Tanko, used to chase health workers away from her home for fear that her children will turn to ‘mumu’ imbecile if vaccinated.
It was not until a neighbour said he suspected Tanko had polio that she was taken to the hospital where an immediate medical intervention saved her from the full effects of the virus. The parents who later vaccinated their other five children are now happy that their children are healthy and normal like other children.
Speaking with the Daily Times, Tanko said; “I have seen it on my child so anybody who says anything against vaccination of children, I use my children as practical example’’.
Like the Tanko family, many parents in northern Nigeria refuse to let their children receive life-saving vaccines because of some myths and conception, DailyTimeNGR gathered.
They believe that vaccines were designed to control the population in Nigeria. With about 200 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and is projected to become the third most populous country in the world by 2050.
Also, Fa’isal Abubakar, a farmer from Gwadabawa, Yola North local government Area of Adamawa State has 11 children. He said, all the children were doing great without vaccination and for that reason, there was no need to vaccinate them. ” I have 11 children without vaccination and I thought if they could survive without vaccination then mine could too”, Abubakar said.
According to him, his children were not vaccinated because he, himself, did not receive any as a child and so does not see the need to do so. His theory however changed after his last child took ill and the traditional herbs he so much believed in failed to heal him.
He said;”My 3-year -old child took ill with rashes all over his body. We took him to many traditional healers after the herbs my traditional healers gave him failed. In my confusion and helplessness, someone advised me to take him to a health facility in my community.
” I was reluctant at first but the zeal to see my child well again pushed me. I could not stand the pain he was going through. On reaching there, it was discovered that he was suffering from measles. He was treated and is doing very well now.
“I am now a strong believer of vaccines for children. In-fact, I am now an advocate. I go around the community encouraging people to take their children for vaccination”, he added.
For his part, Mohammed Idris, a 39-year-old man who participated in an immunisation education talk at a motor park, eventually took his baby for immunisation at the health centre and has taken it upon himself to take his neighbour’s children for immunisation as well.
“Before the healthcare workers came to the motor park, I did not care much about immunisation. I did not know if it was good or not. After attending the talks, I realised that immunisation not only protects my baby from diseases but other children as well and even saves me money because it reduces general medical costs. I even learnt about the COVID-19 vaccine. Little did I know that I will be at the forefront of preaching immunisation to my fellow men. Word is a new malaria vaccine is coming. I plan to be a volunteer immunisation talks” Idris said.
Sokoto leading in childhood vaccination dropout rate
Unless something is done quickly to address the rising trend, many children in Sokoto State may die or become physically challenged because of infections from childhood diseases like measles, hepatitis B, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria, and other vaccine-preventable diseases, according to data from a Federal Government report.
The data is from the Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NICS) recently launched by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners.
The data shows that Sokoto State has the highest dropout rate for childhood vaccination in the country, that is, the percentage of children aged 12 to 23 months who received one dose in the vaccination schedule but failed to receive a later dose.
The report noted that substantially more children are fully vaccinated in the southern zones compared to northern zones. It stated that the benefits of vaccines are fully realised when children receive all recommended vaccine doses on time.
The typical vaccination schedule for children in Nigeria includes BCG (tuberculosis), HepB (hepatitis B), OPV (poliomyelitis), PENTA (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type b), PCV (pneumococcal infection), ROTA (rotavirus), IPV (poliomyelitis), measles, vitamin A, yellow fever, and meningitis.
According to the report, while the national average for percentage of children between 12 to 23 months who failed to received OPV3, DTP-HepB-Hib3, measles 1 and measles 2, were 30.2 per cent, 20.6 per cent, 18.5 per cent and 22 per cent respectively, the situation in Sokoto State is double of the national average.
In Sokoto State, 50.8 per cent of children failed to receive OPV3; 52.8 per cent failed to receive DTP-HepB-Hib3; 44.4 per cent failed to receive measles 1; while 50 per cent failed to receive measles 2.
Although Zamfara State fared better than Sokoto in measles vaccination schedules, it however, recorded the highest vaccination dropout rate in OPV3, and second highest dropout in DTP-HepB-Hib3.
The report further noted that while at the national level 18 per cent of children between 12 to 23 months did not receive any vaccinations (which is a decrease of 55 per cent from five years ago), 51 per cent of children in Sokoto State remain unvaccinated.
Ebonyi is the only state in Nigeria where all the children have received vaccinations against childhood diseases, followed by Enugu State.
Why awareness is key
According to Dr Emeka Nwankwo, a pediatrician with Gwagwalada specialist hospital, Nothing’s more important that the health of our children.
He said, Immunizations are key to keeping our children safe and have proved to protect children from 14 different diseases before they even turn 2 years old.
“While we do everything we can to keep them happy and growing strong, there are certain diseases that can affect our children if we don’t ward against them.
“Immunizations are key to keeping our children safe and have proved to protect children from 14 different diseases before they even turn 2 years old. It is important to shed some light on what you can do to promote vaccine awareness. Whether you’re a parent, a community volunteer, a teacher, or a medical professional, there are tons of ways you can promote the value of childhood immunizations.
“Communication is key, and the same holds true when it comes to awareness. Talk to friends (both parents and non-parents), colleagues and family members about the importance of vaccines. While it’s obvious that children should be getting the recommended immunizations, it’s also important that adults do too.
“If you’re a teacher, a community worker, or parent, invites a nurse or doctor to speak to parents about the importance of vaccinating children. With the increase in news topics regarding child immunizations, parents have a lot of questions. Offer a welcoming and open forum for parents to come together with medical professionals to discuss getting their children vaccinated. You can also create a community event and invite families and neighbors to join in on the discussion”, he said.
This article was originally published by Daily Times, with support from the Solutions Journalism Network and Nigeria Health Watch.
