A Non-Governmental Organisation, Technical Advice Connect (TAConnect), says it has vaccinated over 11,348 children under the age of two with zero-dose status in Kano State.
Dr. Layi Jaiyeola, TAConnect’s Technical Director, disclosed this at the ‘End-of-Project Dissemination Meeting’ held on Thursday in Kano.
The programme was organised by the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board (KSPHCMB), in collaboration with TAConnect and funded by the Pfizer Foundation.
Jaiyeola explained that the children were vaccinated under the Accelerated Vaccination Uptake Project across 10 local government areas (LGAs) with high zero-dose burdens.
“We initially targeted 15 LGAs, of which 10 had zero-dose cases. Immunisation coverage has improved in the selected LGAs,” he said.
The LGAs include Wudil, Dawakin Kudu, Tofa, Garun Malam, Kiru, Bebeji, Tudun Wada, Tarauni, Nassarawa, and Kumbotso.
“We administered Penta, Rota, and Measles vaccines to children aged between zero and 11 months,” he added.
According to Jaiyeola, of the 11,348 children vaccinated, 5,239 were male, while 6,109 were female.
“There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding vaccines. Our approach was to break these cultural and religious barriers,” he said.
Jaiyeola added that TAConnect had engaged all 15 targeted LGAs, addressing obstacles to immunisation and focusing on children who had not received any previous vaccine doses.
He described the project as adopting a human-centred design approach, working closely with communities to develop effective interventions.
He said the initiative also integrated other services, providing caregivers with health education on nutrition, hygiene, and family planning.
“We provided wraparound maternal and newborn services, ensuring caregivers received relevant health education,” he said.
Jaiyeola revealed that the organisation reached over 5,900 women with health information and referred 2,500 of them to health centres for various services.
He said the project demonstrates that the zero-dose burden can be reduced and pledged continued support to Kano State.
Dr. Muhammad-Nasiru Mahmoud, Director-General of KSPHCMB, commended TAConnect’s contribution to improving immunisation coverage in the state.
Jazuli Jafar, who represented Mahmoud, said the state looks forward to further collaboration with TAConnect and other partners.
Dr. Sharrif Yahaya, KSPHCMB’s Director of Disease Control, noted that the government has created a budget line for routine immunisation funding.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting featured presentations on project accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned.
Representatives from the WHO, Pathfinder International, and the Gates Foundation delivered goodwill messages at the event.
NAN also reports that a panel discussion featuring traditional leaders and partners focused on scaling integrated zero-dose interventions.
NAN
