A Non-Governmental Organisation, Technical Advice Connect (TAConnect), funded by the Pfizer Foundation, said it has vaccinated over 11,000 children under 2 years old against childhood killer diseases in Kano State within the last 12 months.
The Organisation’s Technical Director, Dr. Layi Jaiyeola, disclosed this during the end of the project dissemination meeting it organised in collaboration with the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board, KSPHCMB.
Dr. Jaiyeola said the children were vaccinated under the accelerated vaccination uptake project, it implemented in 15 selected local government areas in the state.
According to him, “We target 15 LGAs out of which 10 are zero doses. We have improved immunisation coverage through accelerated outreaches in LGAs such as, Wudil, Dawakin Kudu, Tofa, Garun Malam, Kiru, Bebeji, Tudun Wada, Tarauni, Nassarawa and Kumbotso among others, focusing on the uptake and utilization of pentavalent vaccines, rotavirus and measles vaccines among children under 1 year. 11,348 children have been reached out of which 5,239 are males, while 6,109 are females.
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions around vaccination, so our approach has always been to dispel it so that all the cultural-religious barriers around vaccination can be broken and use it to uptake the vaccination.
“TA Connect has been working with communities across 15 LGAs centered on addressing the barriers to uptake immunization.
“This intervention was mainly focused on reaching the unreached children who have never received any dose of vaccines which is called zero dose.
“It was a human designed centered approach. We work with communities to design interventions and to take the needs of the communities
We also use the opportunity for integration of services, the children have mothers and caregivers who also have their own needs such as Nutrition, Hygiene, bed spacing. We also did wrap around reproductive, maternal and new born services reaching the caregivers with key information and education on needs to improve their health.
We were able to reach over 5,900 women on key information and education and we refer 2,500 women to health facility for birth spacing, nutrition and for wash services,” he said.
Dr. Jaiyeola said the outcome of the project demonstrates that the zero dose burden can be reduced while assuring the state of it readiness and commitment to support.
Dr. Jaiyeola said the outcome of the project demonstrates that the zero dose burden can be reduced while assuring the state of it readiness and commitment to support
Earlier, the Director General, Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board, KSPHCMB, Dr. Nasiru Mahmud represented by the Director, Administration and Human Resources, Jazuli Jafar commended the TA Connect for the intervention, adding that the state looks forward to a more collaborative partnership with it and other partners for an improved and sustained healthcare delivery services at the Primary Healthcare facilities.
On his part, the board’s Director, Disease Control, Dr. Sharrif Yahaya said the state government is not relenting in it effort as it has created a budget line for the funding of routine immunization in the state
