The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has affirmed its commitment to collaborating with governments toward reducing child morbidity and mortality through vaccination.
Mrs Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, Social Behaviour Change Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria, gave the assurance at a two-day media dialogue in Lagos.
The dialogue was on: ‘Achieving the Health SDGs for Over Two Miillion Children at the Risk of Death in Nigeria’.
The programme which ended on Wednesday wss organised by UNICEF in collaboration with Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board.
Akinola-Akinwole said: “There are four areas where UNICEF strengthens routine immunisation in Nigeria.
“The first is vaccine availability which UNICEF is doing in collaboration with the government.
“This is to make sure that vaccines are available at all primary healthcare centres to create access for every child.
“The second is vaccine security and logistics by ensuring that vaccine available are potent enough to protect children from vaccine preventable diseases,” she said.
The official mentioned the third area as health system strengthening by building capacities of health workers through mentorship, trainings and supportive supervision.
“The idea is to encourage them to be able to deliver routine immunisation services at quality level in order to ensure that people continue to trust the system and make demands.
“The last one is social and behaviour change in ensuring that communities are well engaged to improve vaccine trust and acceptance.
“UNICEF uses social and behaviour change strategies which include use of communication and non-communication approaches to build vaccine trust and demand,” she added.
According to the official, immunisation for female children ends at nine years.
She, however, noted that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination had given opportunities to girls within the ages of nine years to 14 years to get vaccinated against cervical cancer.
Akinola-Akinwole identified social norms and cultural norms as part of reasons people did not accept or trust vaccines.
“We must continue to sensitise people against false rumours.
“UNICEF is supporting and empowering communities with innovations to debunk rumours.
“Innovation is not only doing something that is new, it is also about doing something different and making things different.
“Communities, themselves, must set out to look within their peculiarities, contexts to deliver things that are peculiar to them and work for them,” she added.