World Health Organisation has revealed that many Nigerian children still die from vaccine preventable diseases due to people’s wrong attitude.
Dr Irene Isibor, the National Surveillance Officer, World Health Organisation (WHO) said this during the 9th Biennial Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, held at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.
She said “Everyday in 2015, 16,000 children under five years continue to die, mostly from preventable causes.
“Child survival must remain the focus of the post-2015 development agenda.
“The distribution of the estimated deaths among children under five years of age, from diseases that are preventable by vaccination in 2008 in Nigeria shows that measles accounts for 118, 000.
“Death from Neonatal tetanus-59,000, Tetanus (non-neonatal)-2,000, Pneumococcal disease- 476, 000, Rotavirus- 453,000, Pertussis- 195,000, and Hib-199,000.”
On the success recorded so far, she said “Smallpox has been eradicated and polio is close to being eradicated.
“Vaccines for measles, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis save around 2.5 million lives each year.
“Since 2000, measles deaths have declined by 75 per cent.
“Deaths from maternal and neonatal tetanus have plunged to 90 per cent over the past two decades.
“New vaccines also provide weapons against pneumonia and diarrhoea- the two leading killers of children.’’