The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has confirmed that Nigeria has an estimated two million zero-dose children at risk of many diseases, including polio.
Grassroots Parrot reports that zero-dose children are those that lack access to or are never reached by routine immunization services.
Rahaman Mohammed-Farah, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Kano, said this on Thursday in Kano during the unveiling of an immunization song titled “No More Zero Dose.”.
The situation is even critical in Kano, as the state accounts for over 280, 000 of the zero-dose children, the highest so far across the country.
Some of the factors fueling the zero-dose record in the state include insecurity, difficult terrain, financial challenges, male caregivers’ engagement in decisions, and health workers attitudes.
However, Mohammed-Farah said there was the need for stakeholders to intensify efforts towards ensuring effective immunization of every child in the country.
According to him, the song is being launched in Nigeria, across West and Central African states, fittingly on World Polio Day.
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“It epitomizes the strong commitment of UNICEF and partners in West African and Central African subregions, including Nigeria, to improving immunization coverage,” he said.
Mohammed-Farah said the song featured top music stars and UNICEF champions from Nigeria, Mali, Chad, Cameroon, and Guinea.
He listed the artists to include Cobhams, WAJE, Master Soumy, Sekouba Bambino, and, our own, Ali Nuhu.
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“We therefore need to spread the message through this song of the importance of immunization and getting every child under five fully immunized.
“I therefore urged the traditional and social media, Kannywood, singers, and influencers to deploy their channels to ensure that this song goes viral and widely disseminated,” he said.
Highlights of the event included media dialogue on immunization with journalists and other relevant stakeholders.