By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF,h as said that Nigeria bears the highest global burden of zero dose children with an estimated 2.1 million children living without any routine vaccination.

The global organisation added that Borno and Yobe states have a disproportionate number of these children.

Bashir Elegbede,UNICEF Health Officer, stated this in his presentation, on Tuesday, at a one-day media dialogue to commemorate the 2025 World Immunization Day in Damaturu, Yobe State.

The media dialogue was organised by UNICEF in partnership with the Child Rights Information Bureau,CRIB,of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

According to him, for the country to meet global targets, it must reduce the number of zero-dose children by 25 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030.

However, the Yobe State Government said it has over 26,000 zero-dose childre that have been successfully vaccinated throughout the state

The government said it was targeting 

80 percent vaccination coverage by 2026,vowing to increase its efforts to close the gaps and protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Elegbede explained that reducing the number of zero-dose children is crucial for improving public health outcomes in Nigeria.

“Vaccines are lifesavers. They provide the necessary foundation for children to thrive. Across the world, millions of lives have been saved by vaccines. Globally, sadly, Nigeria has the highest burden of zero dose children.

” A number estimated to be 2.1 million as at 2023 (WUENIC 2023). With Borno and Yobe states having a disproportionate number of these children.

 ” UNICEF, alongside stakeholders in the health sector have continued to work with government to reduce the number of zero dose children through improvement routine immunization coverages and approaches that strengthen the health systems across Nigeria.

“A global target is to reduce number of children that are zero-dose by 25% by 2025 and by 50% by 2030,”he said.

According to him, implications for children who are not immunized “have been seen to have a relatively high risk of being infected and succumbing to VPDs like polio, measles, CSM, yellow fever, and viral hepatitis amongst so many diseases numbering up to 30.”

He said UNICEF has supported Yobe State in vaccinating around 20,000 zero dose children with the administration of the DPT/PENTA vaccine in 2024, adding that in Borno State, UNICEF’s intervention has successfully reached 145,000 zero dose children across prioritized local government areas.

“We should take advantage to safeguard precious lives of our children and country men and women.Vaccines ensure less disease and more life.

“A vaccine for one among us is for our collective protection.Not everyone has the same access to life-saving vaccines. However, Nigerian government and partners are striving to address these inequities. Vaccination for all is humanly possible,”he added

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On his part,the Yobe State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mohammed Lawan Gana, said over 26,000 have been successfully vaccinated across the state.

 The commissioner explained that the state is working towards “intensifying efforts to reach every eligible child, especially in underserved, hard-to-reach, and security-challenged areas,.”

Dr. Umar Chiroma,Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the Yobe State Primary Health Care Management Board, said 17.5 percent of children in the state were yet to receive routine vaccinations as at 2024.

Two house wives,Nana Khadija Mu’azu and Aisha Hasan Adamu,who spoke separately at the event, lamented how meningitis and diphtheria caused hit their families as a result of non vaccination, vowing to lead the crusade for vaccination in their communities henceforth.