Physicians Week: NMA Urges Continuous Immunisation Processes

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has said that uninterrupted immunization and Vaccination processes in the country  would boost health both child and maternal health thereby enhancing the life expectance rate of Nigerians. The Chairman, Rivers State Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Datonye Alasia stated this at a press conference as part of activities marking the 2017 Physician Week in Port Harcourt, Monday.
Alasia who revealed the theme of the year’s celebration as ‘Declining immunization Coverage: Threat To National Security and Development, way forward with the sub-theme, Career pathways In Medicine: The New Frontiers, noted that the break in Immunization processes in the country in recent times had created a negative impact on the health of most Nigerian Children and stressed the need for a continued process in the services to relief the country of some avoidable stigma of disease endemicity.
Alasia said, “the reason for this theme is apt. it is a fact that many months ago, when the national immunization Surveillance report was released, it was observed that many states in the country had very poor immunization rate. Some states have as low as 20 per cent which is unacceptable. The implication is that so many children between the ages of 12 months to 23 months are out of immunization right and we are still within the first 10 countries where many children are not immunized and this calls for action”.
He averred that immunization was valuable in the prevention of most children –prone diseases that result in death in children less than five years particularity measles, whoping cough, tetanus, diarrhea, respiratory infections as well as some types of cancers. According to him, immunization aids the prevention of cervical cancer with the NPV Vaccine and Liver cancer that can be caused by Hepatitis B Virus infection. The state NMA boss further called on parents and all stakeholders in the health sector to collaborate in ensuring that the country continues its processes of immunization be it the routine or special immunizations.
“Strengthened vaccinations and immunizations are very important in helping us to change our healthcare indices and when our children are immunizaed, they will live longer and it will have impact on our relatively low life expectancy”, Alasia said.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu