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FCTA board wants more cold-chains for vaccines storage

FCTA board wants more cold-chains for vaccines storage
NAN-H-55
Vaccine
By Mustapha Sumaila
Abuja, Feb. 13, 2018 (NAN) The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board has appealed to the FCT Administration and area councils to provide more cold-chain facilities for the storage of vaccines in the territory.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr Mathew Ashikeni, made the appeal while speaking on the ongoing measles immunisation in the territory during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ashikeni explained that inadequate cold rooms for the vaccines were part of the challenges faced in the ongoing exercise in FCT.
However, he said that the board got some facilities and equipment from Kaduna State to use for the immunisation to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of the vaccination programme.
According to him, the health workers being used are also inadequate and there is need for the FCT administration to engage more hands.
“We seriously need more cold-chain system for the storage of our vaccines and we had to go to our neighbouring states like Kaduna to get such.
“Our health workers are equally inadequate that is why our activities are staggering because obvious challenges and that is why we are not doing the immunisation in all the places concurrently,” he said.
The secretary described the turn out of the children for the vaccination so far as tremendous and massive.
Ashikeni expressed joy for the awareness created by media before the commencement of the programme which in turn resulted to the massive turnout.
“Some schools in FCT were calling us to come and vaccinate their pupils; that show people have realised the danger of measles,” he said.
NAN reports that the vaccination which commenced on Feb. 8, will end on Feb. 20, and 619,000 children are expected to be immunised. (NAN)
MS/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Vaccines storage, potency remains challenge – Expert

Vaccines storage, potency remains challenge – Expert

NAN-HG-5

Immunisation

By Olasunkanmi Onifade

Abuja, April 26, 2017 (NAN) A Consultant Paediatrician with National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Adekunle Otuneye, said on Wednesday that maintaining the potency of vaccines from transit to the end user remains a huge challenge in the country.

Otuneye said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, adding that strict adherence to storage requirements in some areas is yet to be achieved.

“Administration of vaccines to children living in difficult terrains where transportation infrastructure is lacking is a practical obstacle against universal coverage.

“The consequence of poor vaccination is the resurgence of preventable morbidity, disability and mortality from poliomyelitis, measles, diarrhoea, tuberculosis and pneumonia,’’ he said.

Otuneye said one of the challenges of childhood immunisation on a global scale was the prohibitive cost childhood vaccines such as Mumps and Rotavirus.

He described vaccines as antigens given to activate immunity in humans, saying that immunisation had been identified as a proven interventional strategy for childhood survival for several decades.

Otuneye said an estimated two to three million deaths could be prevented annually by the use of vaccination.

“Childhood vaccination in Nigeria has had a chequered course.

“While efforts and progress have been made to add more antigens to the immunisation schedule, immunisation coverage has been abysmally low nationally, though there are regional differences in rates.

“The gains in the last decade are the successful inclusion of hepatitis B, haemopgilus influenza, conjugate pneumococcal vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine’’.

He said the low immunisation rate of about 60 per cent had been a challenge for the last three to four decades.

According to him, the most affected region is the North East with some states having rates below 20 per cent.

Otuneye said the low rate in the region was attributed to the insurgency in that part.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated the last week in April of every year as immunisation week.

The aim is to accelerate action to increase awareness, demand for immunisation and improve vaccination delivery services so that people everywhere can be protected against deadly diseases. (NAN)

OEO/JEY/MST

Edited by Johnson Eyiangho/Muhammad Suleiman Tola