By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Children in Nigeria will now receive the rotavirus vaccine, giving them protection against rotavirus infections, the leading cause of severe diarrhoea in young children worldwide.
This has been made possible through a partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), WHO, UNICEF and other partners.
The vaccine would be administered by the government in its routine immunisation programme through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
Childhood diarrhoea is the third leading cause of childhood mortality in Nigeria, accounting for 15 per cent of all deaths in children aged under five.
The vaccine will initially be available in 19 states and the FCT, starting with zones with lower vaccination coverage, and will later be rolled out to the remaining 17 states – with the aim to reach 7 million children within the first 12 months. The rotavirus vaccine will be administered orally to infants at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age.
“This introduction is a major milestone in the push to protect more Nigerian children against vaccine-preventable diseases. The rotavirus-related disease is the leading cause of severe diarrhoea in young children worldwide, and a key contributor to childhood mortality in Nigeria,” said Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director of Country Programmes for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “We commend the continued commitment of the Government of Nigeria and will work with all partners to support this vital programme, which will reach children with this life-saving vaccine.”
In order to reach so many children quickly, partners have planned to roll out several service delivery strategies such as daily vaccination in select sites as well as mobile sessions to reach hard-to-reach rural communities.
Vaccination will also be integrated with other primary health care services and diarrhoea prevention strategies such as hand washing, exclusive breastfeeding and provision of quality water and sanitation facilities.
Protecting young children through this vaccine also decreases rates of rotavirus infection in unimmunised and elderly populations. Vaccination will also help reduce the use of antibiotics, which are often – ineffectively – prescribed to treat rotavirus infections, thus helping stem the rise of antibiotic resistance.
Concerted efforts by NPHCDA and partners to strengthen health systems over recent years have allowed the country to gradually increase COVID-19 vaccine coverage, while at the same time maintaining routine immunisation as part of its Optimized SCALES 2.0 strategy.
The latest WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) indicate that Nigeria is one of few countries that maintained gains in routine childhood immunisation in 2021 at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted essential health services around the world.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale