Health experts and stakeholders have renewed their calls for unified efforts to combat measles and rubella in Nigeria.
At a Stakeholders’ Meeting organised by the Centre for Well-being and Integrated Nutrition Solutions (C-WINS) on Friday in Abuja, participants highlighted the urgent need to tackle vaccine hesitancy and address financial barriers.
They also stressed the importance of strengthening routine immunisation services ahead of the nationwide rollout of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine.
A public health physician from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Kenneth Onome shared the Ministry’s plan to address vaccine hesitancy through grassroots campaigns and targeted media outreach.
He also emphasised the need to reduce out-of-pocket vaccine expenses to improve accessibility.
“Measles anywhere is a threat everywhere,” he warned, underscoring the urgency of controlling outbreaks in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”
A seasoned paediatrician, Dr Nihinlola Mabogunje stressed the importance of including rubella in the measles vaccine to prevent congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) among newborns.
She advocated for embedding immunisations into routine healthcare services, ensuring access even in hard-to-reach or conflict-affected areas.
“No child should die from measles, and no child should be left unvaccinated,” she stated.
An epidemiologist from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Lukman Ismaila pointed out the rising cases of measles, reporting more than 10,000 cases annually.
He called for improved vaccination coverage, regional interventions, and the involvement of traditional and religious leaders to promote vaccine acceptance.
“Preventing outbreaks is not just about vaccines; it’s about collaboration across all sectors,” he said.
Other speakers collectively emphasised the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to ensure the success of Nigeria’s MR vaccine campaign, which aimed to reach more than 23 million children aged 9 to 59 months.
Nigeria introduced the measles vaccine into its routine immunisation programme in 1978 for children aged 9 months.
To strengthen the coordination of measles and rubella programmes, the country has established a National Measles Verification Committee (NVC) and a Steering Committee.
The NVC reviews data on disease and vaccination to assess progress towards eliminating measles and rubella, while the Steering Committee provides strategic advice on achieving the measles elimination goal.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can lead to blindness, pneumonia, and encephalitis, while rubella can cause birth defects.
Factors contributing to low vaccination coverage in Nigeria include low demand, disruptions to immunisation activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
The WHO recommends that all children and adults susceptible to measles receive two doses of the MR vaccine, either alone or as part of a combination vaccine.
NAN
