The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on journalists to redouble efforts on public awareness to ensure maximum immunisation coverage in the North-West states.

The chief of the Sokoto UNICEF field office, Maryam Sa’id, gave the charge at a two-day media dialogue for journalists from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.

The dialogue was organised in collaboration with the Primary Healthcare Development Agencies of the three states aimed at enhancing routine immunisation and zero-dose reduction campaigns.

Ms Sa’id said the dialogue was aimed at promoting the dissemination of accurate information, allaying the spread of misinformation and ensuring that every child was protected with life-saving vaccines.

“It is essential to build on UNICEF’s strong partnership with the media to sustain messaging on the importance of routine immunisation, highlighting what parents, caregivers, communities, traditional and religious leaders, decision-makers, and stakeholders should do to promote the immunisation.

“Immunisation is one of UNICEF’s global advocacy priorities, keeping conversations on routine immunisation on the front burner of Nigeria’s public discourse is essential.

“To achieve that, strategic and constructive engagement of the media with its mass-mediated news and information dissemination platforms is imperative,” the UNICEF chief explained.

Ms Sai’id said that immunisation was the most cost-effective, high-impact intervention for dealing with vaccine-preventable diseases, especially in children under five.

“Vaccines are estimated to be one of the most cost-effective means of advancing global welfare.

“In fact, the vaccine works and acts as a protective shield for the children against deadly diseases,” she added.

Ms Sa’id said that according to the National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NICS) 2021, Nigeria achieved remarkable progress.

She added that the completeness of routine immunisation coverage was 36 per cent, while for the North-West States figure was only 25 per cent.

She further said that UNICEF was committed to providing caregivers and communities with fact-based information on vaccines.

“Through community-level engagement and building partnerships, UNICEF works to build trust.

“That involves developing alliances with the media, civil society organisations, and faith-based organisations to increase awareness in underserved and underreached communities.

“The recent outbreaks of diphtheria in Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states were found to have occurred in locations with immunisation zero dose children,” Ms Sa’id explained

Earlier, the communications specialist, UNICEF Field Office Kano, Samuel Kaalu, said the meeting aimed to inform the media of the current situation of routine immunisation in the three states.

“We engage the media to raise awareness because people believe the media, we also engage media to deal with scepticism, false information, fears and doubts,” Mr Kaalu explained.

The district head of Gagi in Sokoto South Local Government Area, Sani Umar-Jabbi, described community leaders’ engagement as the best way to ensure the acceptance of immunisation activities and tackle disagreements.

(NAN)