Hello Mamalettes, today marks the beginning of the World Immunization Week 2017, which is organised by the World Health Organisation(WHO).
The aim of this program is to bring awareness and raise funds so that children all over the world can have access to vaccines aimed to protect them against some diseases.
In 1978, the Expanded Programmes on Immunization (EPI) took effect in Nigeria . The aim of the EPI was to improve the health of Nigerian children by stopping polio, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, tuberculosis and yellow fever. According to the National Programme on Immunization, immunization of children in Nigeria is carried out using the following vaccines;
- BCG Tuberculosis - at birth
- Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) - at birth and at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age
- Diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus vaccine(DPT) - at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age
- Hepatitis B - at birth, 6 and 14 weeks
- Measles - at 9 months of age
- Yellow Fever - at 9 months of age
- Vitamin A - at 9 months and 15 months of age
According to UNICEF, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles, HIV/AIDS and malnutrition are the primary killers of children in the developing world. In Nigeria, children die because they do not have access to routine immunization or health services.
Research has shown that the administration of vaccines in Nigeria has helped in the eradication of polio in Nigeria. At this present time, the Polio Global Eradication Initiative has reported that Nigeria has not reported any case of polio in 2017. This success can be linked to the effort the government and independent agencies to administer polio vaccines all over the country.
Before pregnancy, make sure you are up to date on all your vaccines. This will help protect you and your child from serious diseases.
In essence we have to make sure every member of our family and friends get their complete dose of immunization.
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