NATIONAL HEALTH AGENCY EMPHASISES ON VACCINATION OF CHILDREN UNDER ONE YEAR

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, urging Parents and caregivers in Kano State and other parts of the country to ensure their children under one year are fully vaccinated with pentavalent vaccines and other childhood vaccines.

The Agency noted that the childhood vaccines are Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), Rotavirus vaccine, polio vaccine, inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), measles vaccine, yellow fever vaccine and meningitis vaccine.

Executive director of the agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib explained that the recent diphtheria outbreak in Kano and other states was a serious concern that requires urgent attention to control the situation

He assured that diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease, saying that the best protection against the disease is keeping up to date with recommended vaccines.

According to him, poor immunisation performance in the affected areas in Kano State was the reason behind the outbreak of the disease.

To improve the routine immunisation performance in the state, he disclosed that the agency was collaborating with Kano State and the affected local government areas, as well as all other stakeholders involved in immunisation service delivery.