Paul Obi in Abuja
The federal government yesterday in Abuja said high cost of vaccines on Hepatitis and other logistics has stalled the inclusion of the disease in the nation’s overall immunisation programme.
The revelation came as Nigeria joined the rest of the continent to celebrate the African Vaccination Week (AVW).
With this development, Nigerians will have to wait longer for the free and easy access to hepatitis vaccine given the exorbitant cost associated Hepatitis in routine immunisation programme.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr. Ado Muhammad told journalists Monday, during the African Vaccination Week with the theme as ‘Close the Immunisation Gap. Stay Polio Free’ that high cost of vaccines continue to impede the country’s effort at fighting the virus.
”There are vaccines for adults for hepatitis but those vaccines are extremely expensive and we have not yet included them as part of routine immunisation for Nigeria. We are working on the procedures of making that happen. So people need to know that the vaccines are extremely expensive.”
“But we provide vaccines for our children and these vaccines are available in private and government hospitals and the government is working to ensure that we include it as part of our routine immunisation as soon as the funds are available,” Muhammad said.
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