Nigeria has stepped up advocacy efforts in preparation for introducing the measles-rubella vaccine to prevent congenital defects.
The Centre for Well-Being and Integrated Nutrition Solutions, in a statement on Sunday by its Head of Mission for the Advocacy Project, Dr. Mahmud Zubairu, ahead of the introduction of the vaccine, noted that rubella infections during pregnancy continue to pose a serious but preventable threat to the health of newborns across Nigeria.
As part of the advocacy, it urged stakeholders to invest in child health to ensure national stability and a better quality of life.
C-WINS disclosed that as the government takes steps to introduce the measles-rubella vaccine, the centre and other organisations are embarking on sustained advocacy to ensure its widespread acceptance.
According to the centre, the organisations are working with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and other government health agencies to boost sensitisation for introducing the measles-rubella vaccine.
C-WINS said: ‘Their efforts, including recent collaborations with the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum (NGSF), are critical in preparing the nation for the 2025 roll-out.
‘First Ladies across states such as Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, and Kwara have launched public awareness campaigns, helping drive community mobilisation nationwide’.
C-WINS disclosed that its advocacy team recently met with the Nigerian Governors’ Spouses Forum, chaired by Kwara State First Lady, Prof. Olufolake AbdulRazaq, at the NGSF secretariat in Abuja.
According to Zubairu, the success of introducing the MR vaccine in Nigeria depends largely on the commitment of governments at all levels to providing the required counterpart funding for the vaccination.
‘Through the support of Gavi, and partners, the MR vaccine is available for Nigeria, and our advocacy is to ensure that the government’s financial commitments are redeemed on time’,.
It noted that, like most vaccines, the MR vaccine is not cheap, but with support from the Gavi Alliance and other stakeholders, the cost has been subsidised, making it accessible to Nigerians.
The centre stated: ‘To fully realise this opportunity, the campaign’s success now depends on timely financial and logistical commitments from federal and state governments, including transport, storage, training, and health worker deployment.
‘These efforts are essential to ensuring that Nigerian children are protected from lifelong disabilities and that families are spared emotional and financial burdens due to Rubella. Vaccination remains an investment in a healthier, more stable future for families and communities’.
C-WINS also said the media has a pivotal role in shaping public perception, fostering awareness, and promoting vaccine acceptance.
According to it, strategic media engagement and sustained awareness campaigns—which have taken place in key states such as Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River—are essential to ensure that communities understand the lifesaving benefits of MR vaccination.
It said: ‘Insecurity and misinformation in some parts of the country have previously hindered past vaccination efforts, making a well-coordinated, nationwide-wide campaign all the more critical. Boosting immunisation uptake to the 95% coverage required for herd immunity is crucial to protecting families and communities against measles and Rubella’.
‘Furthermore, government at all levels must commit to a comprehensive routine immunisation policy prioritising equity and accessibility. The regional and state disparities in vaccine coverages highlighted by the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 2023/2024 indicate that regions like the North-West continue to be underserved and suffer from inadequate immunisation rates compared to the South-South and South-East’.
It advised stakeholders that the imbalance in the critical health indices must be addressed urgently through affirmative targeted interventions.
“Governments at all levels and stakeholders must work to eliminate identified security breaches, increase funding for implementation of routine and supplemental immunisation activities and focus on community-based immunisation outreach programmes,” it added.
According to C-WINS, to ensure its success, government agencies, health sector stakeholders, and the media must work together to accelerate a nationwide rollout and protect future generations.
‘Rubella, often mistaken for a mild childhood rash-like illness, frequently overshadowed by measles, carries severe health consequences when contracted by pregnant women.
‘Approximately one in every 10 cases seen as measles is, in fact, Rubella. Research has established that maternal rubella infection during the first trimester leads to Congenital Rubella Syndrome, which manifests in new-borns as cataracts, heart defects, hearing impairments, and mental disabilities’, it said.
