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By Job Osazuwa
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has better appreciated the essence of vaccination in managing and preventing deadly diseases.
It is indisputable that vaccination is pivotal to preventing a plethora of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Vaccines are believed to be the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases.
When polio dealt Nigeria devastating blows, crippling many citizens, many considered the disease an incurable and life-long burden, but the narrative has changed today. With the help of aggressive and sustainable vaccination, polio is almost a forgotten issue in Nigeria.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), immunization and other forms of vaccination save millions of lives every year across the globe. Experts have agreed that vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with the body’s natural defences to build protection. They explain that when you get a vaccine, your immune system responds.
“Immunization prevents two to three million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles. It is a key component of primary health care and an indisputable human right. It’s also one of the best health investments money can buy. Vaccines underpin global health security and will be a vital tool in the battle against antimicrobial resistance,” WHO said.
Yet, two years after the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Nigeria and 12 months after the first shot of the vaccine was administered in the country, only about 4 per cent of the country’s estimated 200 million population, that is over eight million persons, has been fully vaccinated against the virus.
WHO has raised the alarm that vaccine hesitancy was one of the biggest threats to global health. Studies have identified COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the reasons for the low acceptance and non-compliance by some Nigerians in the country.
Perturbed by the unpalatable development, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in partnership with the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) is championing campaigns in vaccine confidence and the vaccination of more Nigerians. This is a move targeted at winning the war against the pandemic and stamping out other preventable diseases from the country.
As the pandemic continues to keep the world on its feet, clinical trials and surveillance have shown the crucial need for COVID-19 vaccination in preventing deaths even as health professionals have raised concerns on the role of vaccine confidence.
Vaccine confidence, according to the Centre for Disease and Control (CDC), is the belief that vaccines work, are safe and are part of a trustworthy medical system.
Vaccines protect children and adults from many serious and potentially deadly diseases, protect other people in the community by helping to stop diseases spreading to people who cannot have vaccines and reduce or even get rid of some diseases, if enough people are vaccinated.
As this is an urgent public health issue, with research, development and communications around quality vaccines on the rise, the NPHCDA and NSSF recently held a virtual roundtable tagged “Vaccine confidence in Nigeria,” aimed at taking more Nigerians off the hook.
In his remarks, the vice-chairman, NSSF, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said: “This roundtable discussion puts us in the right place, at the right time to accelerate the exchange of ideas and scaling-up of good practices to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.”
At the discussion, which had over 400 registrants and more than 150 attendees, the ED/CEO, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, brought everyone up to speed on what the agency was doing on vaccination and driving partnership with NSSF to impact over 1.6 milwlion Nigerians, with a focus on how vaccine hesitancy and non-compliance could delay the achievement of health targets.
He said: “The issue of vaccine hesitancy is something that is global but, within the context of Nigeria, there are different issues driving this hesitancy. Tapping into global practices is going to be very critical for us as a country.”
The event also had a group of panelists, which included policy experts, member of NGOs, members of civil society organisations, community and faith-based organisations’ leaders. Among them were Prof. Heidi Larson, Michael Fornwall of Merck for Mothers; Tijjani Mohammed, Advocacy and Communications – Nigeria; Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera, Emir of Argungu Camp, chairman, Northern Traditional Leaders Committee; Bishop Sunday Onuoha, Nigerian Interfaith Action Association; and Peter Hawkins, UNICEF country representative. One common theme among the panellists was the need for mind-collaboration while exploring the factors responsible for vaccine hesitancy and proffering specific solutions for vaccine education campaigns across the country.
The director of disease control and immunisation at NPHCDA, Dr. Bassey Okposen, further harped on the significance of going to the grassroots and providing information around why vaccines work.
He said: “It would help the goal of being able to exit the pandemic, as they look forward to delivering COVID-19 vaccines to at least 70 per cent of the eligible population this year. Whether there’s a pandemic or not, we will always continue to try to improve childhood immunisation by vaccinating children against vaccine-preventable diseases.”
In response, the general manager at NSSF, Dr. Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko, said: “There is a need to integrate COVID-19 vaccinations into routine vaccinations for added benefits for Nigeria.”
Speaking on best practices in building vaccine confidence, focusing on COVID-19 new vaccine information, communication, and education (CONVINCE), Prof. Larson added: “The most important lesson in building vaccine confidence is to listen and understand, map the issues, and design the interventions to fit the needs of the people first; citing examples of how countries doused negative emotions about the vaccines and were able to build trust and uptake by leveraging emotions of hope and empathy.”
Bishop Onuoha, representing Nigerian Interfaith Action Association in building vaccine confidence within communities added: “The government needs to mobilise religious leaders, as they are the key to encouraging communities to participate in the vaccination programmes, as this seems to have worked in the past particularly on polio vaccine programme”.
One of the panellists, Fornwall said: “Building confidence in vaccination and creating resilient immunization programmes requires a coordinated approach. It would require government, stakeholders and leadership commitment. Effective health systems, policies, and programme coordination, supportive, positive community and individual experiences are needed to drive confidence and demand in the country.
“The goal at the NSSF’s centre is enhancing vaccination advocacy campaigns and partnering with relevant stakeholders to free Nigerians from preventable diseases.”
Chinye-Nwoko added: “NSSF is a private sector-led institution borne out of a partnership between the Global Citizen and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority to complement efforts in combating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through fund raising to address three core response areas: supporting the most vulnerable, strengthening health care systems and re-skilling of Nigerian youth for the new Nigeria.
“The institution believes that everyone should have access to quality and affordable health care services when they need it; young Nigerians should be enabled with opportunities for self-empowerment and well-skilled for a post-COVID-19 era and that the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised groups in Nigeria should not be left behind.”
