By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
In a move to eradicate Zero Dose immunization syndrome in the country, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with other partners has commenced the implemention of a programme tagged ‘Big Catch up’ to get children aged 0-59 months vaccinated in 200 LGAs across the country that have been identified as ZERO DOSE.
The disclosure was made by a Health Officer with the Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF, Patrick Akor while speaking with Journalists during the implementation of the programme in Eight LGAs of Plateau State.
He said that the UN Agency is scouting for children who are yet to complete their vaccines in 200 local government areas in the country.
“Plateau, one of the states with zero dose children has Eight of its Councils being targeted for the ‘Big Catch-up Immunisation’ exercise,” he said.
According to him, zero dose children are the kids without pental vaccines at the age of 12 and 23 months.
He said: “We are also targeting 162,000 children age 0-59 months who are either yet to receive or incomplete doses. This also includes children under one who are due to take another vaccine. We are looking for 26,000 under immunised children.”
He stated that, “What is happening here in Plateau State for the past few days has to do with the Big Catch up Immunization exercise, it is not only in Plataeau state, we have 200 LGAs across the country but here in Plataeau state we have 8 LGAs.”
He added that, “What we are actually doing is supervising to see what the vaccination teams are doing concerning reaching all the Zero Dose children and under immunized children.”
According to him, “The zero dose children are those who have not received the first dose of penta at the age of 12 to 24 months and we also look out for the children up to 59 months who have never received or started but did not complete the doses of immunization.”
“So, it is for us to see that the teams having their workplans are working in accordance to the plans to cover the settlements and ensure that all children are reached looking at their eligible ages and are vaccinated,” he said.
Patrick Akor added that, “We also look for children who are less than One year who have not completed their immunization or who have not started, we also have vaccinations vaccines and get them immunized based on their eligibility.”
On his impression with the exercise, he said that,”So far from the LGAs I have covered, I found out that the teams are working, they have to start from the settlements they actually covered in the first round and also the households, so that those who started got their second doses and based on the eligible ages, and not above 59 months, 2 doses of penta vaccine.”
The UNICEF Health Officer added that, “We also look for children who were missed in the last round. Before we came here, we saw a zero dose child that was actually vaccinated, she is 3 years and she has never received any of the antigens but was only vaccinated with BCG.”
According to him, “It was a good outing for us to see scuh and look out for more of these children and get them vaccinated and continue with the vaccination process, encouraging mothers to take their children to the health facilities for vaccination.”
Speaking on the projection he said that, “Yes, there is a projection in terms of the target, in Plateau State, we have a target of 162,029 Zero Dose children, under immunized, we are looking at 26,049 children which is the target for Plataeau state across the 8 LGAs.”
He added that, “For Jos South and North LGAs where we are, we have a projected target of 33,785 Zero Dose children, we have those who actually started but never came back to take and complete their vaccinations, also the under immunized, 6000 children, these are our projections and looking forward to achieving it.”
He added that,”From the first round, we are moving to the second round and for us to reduce the number of ZERO dose to be barest minimum.”
“For the vaccine doses, we have vaccine for the last round balance and we still have more, vaccine supply is based on the target age groups which I have just enumerated above and also there is buffer attached to it so that we don’t run out vaccines. We have adequate vaccine,” he assured.
Patrick Akor added that,”The service providers are to ensure that this aspect of vaccination was successful by taking note of children that have been missed and look at the missed opportunity, whereever they are, we are to try to see how they can be vaccinated.”
He added that, “They are to ensure that they carried out their jobs as due and go extra mile to also see that no children are missed while defaulters are tracked for it to ensure that they are vaccinated against any of the vaccine preventable diseases.”
According to him,”Our message to caregivers is to ensure that they took their children to the various facilities for vaccination against the vaccine preventable diseases so that their children can be healthy.”
He stressed that, “Because, a healthy child will be able to go to school and become one of the future of Nigerian children, a healthy child is a child that can stand on his/her own and face the future with hopes high. It should be noted that Immunization is the right of every child, he/she must not be denied of that right.”
One of the caregivers, Usman Salamatu of Rikkos, Jos North LGA, whose ward of Three years missed routine immunisation, was given the catch-up vaccines, said that the biological mother of the girl could not explain the reason the child missed her doses.
“I’m very glad that she has received the vaccines and my mine is settled,” she said.
The immunisation teams were deployed to Jos North and South local government in Jos metropolis where vaccines were taken to households and schools to scout for zero dose children.
