By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Tribune OnlineTribune OnlineTribune Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Columns
  • Editorial
  • VIDEOS
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Health
  • Opinions
  • SPORTING TRIBUNE
Reading: Nigerian scholar brings hope for maternal equity, vaccine trust
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Tribune OnlineTribune Online
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • News
  • Columns
  • Editorial
  • VIDEOS
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Health
  • Opinions
  • SPORTING TRIBUNE
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Advertise
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2025 African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc.. All Rights Reserved.
News Extra

Nigerian scholar brings hope for maternal equity, vaccine trust

Sandra Nwaokolo
August 15, 2024
Share
Mustapha Asiata Yetunde
SHARE

As the world continues to face persistent challenges in maternal health and vaccine acceptance, the career of Nigerian public health educator Mustapha Asiata Yetunde demonstrates how lessons from grassroots community engagement abroad can provide valuable solutions at home. With years of experience working in partnership with the World Health Organisation and the Kwara State Ministry of Health’s “Saving One Million Lives” initiative, Asiata has built a reputation for designing interventions that not only deliver healthcare but also build trust in the process. From coordinating immunisation drives to training frontline health workers in infection control, she has learned that public health progress is most durable when communities themselves are central to the solution.

Her academic contributions reinforce this practice-oriented expertise. Asiata’s Master’s thesis, “Knowledge and Attitude of Antenatal Mothers on the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS in Ilorin East LGA, Kwara State,” revealed important gaps in awareness among pregnant women, underscoring how maternal education can change the trajectory of both mothers’ and children’s health. By identifying these gaps and recommending culturally sensitive communication strategies, her research provided a framework for community-based education that resonates beyond Nigeria. These findings, which she has shared at national and international conferences, mirror the very challenges that continue to confront the United States, where disparities in maternal care remain stark.

According to recent CDC data, the overall U.S. maternal mortality rate in 2023 was 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, but for non-Hispanic Black women, the rate was a staggering 50.3, more than three times higher than the 14.5 recorded for White women. At the same time, rural communities across the U.S. continue to report lower vaccine uptake, with only 58.5% of rural residents having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by early 2022 compared with 75.4% in urban areas. These figures demonstrate that access to medical infrastructure alone does not guarantee positive outcomes; community trust, education, and engagement remain critical.

It is precisely in these areas that Asiata’s work has the potential to benefit the United States. Her approach—mobilising trusted local networks, training health workers in direct community engagement, and measuring results through rigorous monitoring and evaluation—provides a replicable model for reducing disparities. In Nigeria, her strategies have helped improve immunisation rates and maternal health awareness; in the U.S., they could bolster maternal health programs in underserved areas, address vaccine hesitancy in rural communities, and support federal and state efforts to improve equity in public health outcomes.

As a top researcher in Public Health Education with numerous high-impact research publications to her credit, Asiata continues to refine her scholarship while remaining deeply engaged in practical health solutions. Her career illustrates how public health knowledge, generated in one context, can travel across borders to meet shared challenges. For the United States, where addressing maternal mortality and vaccine inequities is a national priority, her expertise underscores the value of globally informed, community-first strategies that place people—not just policies—at the centre of health.


WATCH TOP VIDEOS FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE TV

  • Back to School, Back to Business A Fresh Start

  • Relationship Hangout: Public vs Private Proposals – Which Truly Wins in Love?

  • “No” Is a Complete Sentence: Why You Should Stop Feeling Guilty

  • Relationship Hangout: Friendship Talk 2025 – How to Be a Good Friend & Big Questions on Friendship

  • Police Overpower Armed Robbers in Ibadan After Fierce Struggle


    Get real-time news updates from Tribune Online! Follow us on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive stories and interviews, and much more.
    Join our WhatsApp Channel now


Share This Article
Facebook Email Print
Previous Article Jonathan calls for church-led revolution in health sector
Next Article Japa: Diaspora doctors, National Hospital sign MOU to curb brain drain

Frontpage Today

Subscribe to e-Paper

E-Vending, e paper, pdf, e-paper, Tribune
WOMEN

Xquisite
Xquisite Food
Xquisite Style
Wondrous World of Women

MORE

Business Coach
Education
Event Digest
Crime & Court
Do It Yourself
Ecoscope
Property & Environment
Energy
Maritime
Aviation
Brands & Marketing
Agriculture
Info Tech
Labour
Leadership & Management
Achievers
Arewa Live
Arts & Culture
Arts & Reviews
Campus Beat
Politics
Health News
MORE

Mum & Child
Natural Health
Sexuality & Health
Special Report
Sports
Tourism
Travelpulse & MICE
Tribune Business
Weekend Lagos
Youth Speak
Book Review
Thursday Tales
EDITORIAL

Editorial
Opinion
Letters
News Extra

BUSINESS

Capital Market
Money Market
Economy

ENTERTAINMENT

Friday Treat
Entertainment
Razzmattaz

REGIONS

South West
Niger Delta
Arewa

RELIGION

Tribune Church
Church News
Muslim Sermon
Eye of Islam
Islamic News

COLUMNS

Anike's Diary
Aplomb
Ask The Doctor
Autoclinic With The Mechanic
Awo's Thought
Borderless
Crucial Moment
Empowered For Life
Festus Adebayo's Flickers
Financewise
Gibbers
Intimacy
Language & Style
Leaders' Forum
Leadership & Management
Lynx Eye
Monday Lines
Mum & Child
Natural Health
Notes from Atlanta with Farooq Kperogi
On The Lord's Day
PENtagon
Political Panorama
Veritatem With Obadiah Mailafia
Voice of Courage
Whatsapp Conversation
You and Eye
Your Life Counts

© 2025 African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?