Some medical practitioners on Wednesday said vaccines are safe and healthy, urging Nigerians to embrace them.

They made the remarks at the 2024 Nigerian Medical Association Oyo Scientific Conference in Ibadan.

The conference had the theme “Vaccines: The facts and the myths” and a sub-theme of “Combating vaccine hesitancy in clinical and public health settings.”

A clinical virologist at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeola Fowotade, said most diseases in Nigeria could be prevented with vaccination.

Ms Fowotade added that the available vaccines were not meant for children alone but also for adults.

She said that people were showing apathy towards vaccines as a result of some myths associated with them.

“Some say vaccines cause autism; that the HPV vaccine causes infertility, makes girls promiscuous and contains harmful substances, among other myths. But large-scale studies done by the Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation showed that vaccines are not only safe but effective and can prevent diseases.

“Not having sex alone, as some parents think, is not enough to protect a child from having the human papilloma virus; the best way is through vaccination,” she said.

An epidemiologist at UCH, Ibadan, David Dairo, also emphasised that vaccines were safe, effective and free as well.

Mr Dairo urged Nigerians to take advantage of the vaccines that are available, especially the HPV vaccine for girls.

“The HPV vaccine is available in health care facilities and schools; it’s free and very beneficial,” he said.

He emphasised that the Child Rights Law stipulated that guardians and parents should ensure that their wards get full vaccination.

“There should be a policy whereby vaccination cards should be provided, like the NIMC and driver’s licence, and made available for adults even before seeking admission or any national enlistment,” he said.

The chairman of the occasion and retired professor of microbiology from the University of Ibadan, Rasheed Bakare, said vaccines were the most effective ways to prevent viruses.

Mr Bakare said that people should remove the fear of taking them.

Also, the Oyo State NMA Acting Chairman, Happy Adedapo, showed concerns over the number of health practitioners resisting use of vaccines.

“It’s worrisome that even health workers are now joining a good number of people who have misconceptions about vaccines; that’s what informed the choice of our theme. We need to educate ourselves and give out the appropriate information for society. Vaccines are safe. We want people to embrace vaccination. People should put their trust in the science behind vaccination. With the advent of science, there is evidence that vaccines are actually good for health.

“The side effects people complain of are as a result of the fact that the body is now adjusting to a foreign body that has been introduced, not because of the vaccines. When you introduce the vaccine, it stimulates the body to build immunity to fight those organisms that the vaccine is targeting,” Mr Adedapo said.  

(NAN)