The Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the University of Minnesota and the United
States Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy have commended
Nigeria
for transparency in the latest world annual report of data on routine
immunisation and polio eradication.
Professors
Orin Levine of the BMGF and Mike Osterholm of the University of Minnesota made
the commendation in a joint annual report of the World Health Organisation
(WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
They gave
kudos to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in the
WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC), which they
described as positive for the first time.
The report
said Nigeria had a better and accurate data on immunisation coverage at the
sub-national levels for 125 out of 194 countries.
Nigeria,
according to the publication, was commended for reporting the most accurate
estimates of her immunisation coverage.
Although the
publication decried the security and administrative challenges in the country,
especially in reaching every child for vaccination against preventable
diseases, Levine and Osterholm acknowledged Nigeria’s courage and commitment,
stressing that this was required to map out gaps in coverage and it responded
appropriately.
They
therefore called on other countries to emulate Nigeria’s good example in
transparency, accuracy and due process in its new programme’s data reportage on
routine immunisation, adding that it was the best strategy to improve the
protection of their communities against preventable diseases.
The
publication also acknowledged global progress at ensuring that no child was
left behind in lifesaving vaccines and described childhood immunisation as one
of the best investments any country can make.
It stressed
that every dollar invested on immunisation resulted in 44 dollars in terms of
socio-economic benefits.
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