Eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Borno State are facing a high number of children who have not received any routine immunisations, raising concerns within the state’s health sector.
The Borno State Director of Disease Control under the Primary Healthcare Development Board, Maina Modu, disclosed this during a dialogue with journalists in Maiduguri ahead of the Big Catch-Up Round 3 immunisation campaign.
He noted that the eight LGAs with the highest count of “zero-dose” children include Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Mafa, Konduga, Jere, Askira Uba, Dikwa, Marte, and Shani.
According to him, persistent issues such as refusal of vaccination by some parents, prevalent hesitancy towards vaccines among certain communities, and opposition from influential individuals impede efforts to reach eligible children.
“Ongoing Boko Haram conflict and difficulties accessing remote and insecure areas contribute to children missing vaccinations in some parts of the state.
“Not only that, prolonged Boko Haram insurgency adds complexity to delivering essential health services, including immunisation in aforementioned LGAs,” he added.
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Modu explained that to address this challenge, the state primary healthcare agency is implementing innovative strategies beyond conventional large-scale vaccination campaigns in Local Government Areas in the state.
Dedicated health teams from the 14th of this month will start identifying and vaccinating children without prior doses, through the intensification of routine immunisation in all the 10 LGAs.
Additionally, community engagement will involve collaboration with civil society organisations, religious leaders, and traditional institutions to raise awareness about public health risks and the importance of immunisation.
Fatima Ali, Director of Disease Control and Immunisation, Borno Primary Health Care Agency, noted that intensified outreach aims to increase engagement between health facilities and communities, supplementing mass campaigns and regular healthcare delivery.
The Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) works with Local Government Departments of Primary Health Care to deliver services to remote parts of the state and partners with international healthcare agencies like UNICEF to improve healthcare agencies like UNICEF to improve healthcare delivery.
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