To ensure no child is left behind in Immunization exercises in Nigeria, Lagos State Accountability Mechanism (LASAM) for Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent, Health, and Nutrition, in collaboration with Save the Children International, SCI started a 4-year program that will check the number of zero-dose and under-immunized children in parts of Kano and Lagos States.
The program allows those with Zero Dose and Under-Immunised Children (BOOST Project) to participate because of its duration, which will run from 2024 to 2027.
Explaining in detail at a one-day engagement workshop organized by SCI in Lagos on Wednesday, Lagos State Project Manager and Advocacy Coordinator for BOOST, Dr. Itunu Dave-Agboola, noted that the project specifically targets zero-dose children who have never received any vaccine dose and under-immunized children who have not completed their immunization schedule.
She stated that the project would be engaging critical stakeholders during the years the project would be implemented in Lagos, assuring that the project will ensure that all children get immunized including those that have missed receiving a vaccine at a stage.
“ What zero-dose children, means is that, children who have never been vaccinated, they have never received one dose of any vaccine. Under-immunized children are children who did not complete the immunization schedule”. Itunu
She says, “Our focus is on reaching these vulnerable groups through targeted advocacy and collaboration,” Dave-Agboola said.
Dr. Dave-Agboola emphasized that the BOOST project in Lagos is not just about vaccines, but about sustainability. Key to this, she noted, is engaging advocacy partners like LASAM to help create an enabling environment through improved policies, funding, and human resources for immunization services.
For Nigeria, “Nigeria accounts for over 2.2 million zero-dose children in 2021, the second-highest globally, these experts say, is a bad figure.
She promised to work with other relevant bodies and the media on the project.
She urged media practitioners to always put on the front burner not just the activities around the project but educate the population about immunization as well as get government and private commit to immunization projects and programs.