UNICEF Calls for Urgent Action to Boost Routine Immunisation Amid Polio Resurgence
Funmi Ogundare
The Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, yesterday called for renewed political commitment and community action to strengthen routine immunisation in Lagos State, warning that a resurgence of polio poses a serious threat to children across the region.
Speaking at the World Immunisation Week and Polio Awareness Walk, themed, ‘Humanly Possible: Saving Lives through Immunisation’, Lafoucriere revealed that two million Nigerian children remain zero-dose, having never received a single vaccine dose, despite decades of global progress in immunisation.
“Right here in Lagos, we are detecting a resurgence of polio,” the UNICEF Chief said, attributing the threat to low immunisation coverage, poor sanitation, and malnutrition, stressing “routine immunisation is our best bet.”
She emphasised the life-saving power of vaccines, saying immunisation has saved over 150 million lives since 1974 and the global use of the oral polio vaccine alone has prevented 24 million cases of paralysis.
“Before the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, 1,000 children were paralysed every day. Thanks to collective action, we have achieved a 99.9 per cent reduction in polio cases. But we are not done yet,” Laforcriere stated.
She also called for intensified efforts in health education saying the challenge is no longer awareness but belief.
According to her, “everybody is aware. Does everybody truly believe in the validity of vaccines? I don’t think so,” she said, pointing to persistent misinformation and vaccine hesitancy as key obstacles.
In her remarks, the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who flagged-off the campaign, explained that immunisation is not a privilege but a fundamental right of every child.
“Let us make a collective pledge today: That no child in Lagos will suffer from a disease we can prevent. That we will reach the unreached. That we will end polio, once and for all,” she stated.
Under the campaign, which will run from May 3 to 6, she noted that all children aged 0 to 59 months will receive two drops of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) free of charge.
“Vaccination teams will be deployed across public health centers and directly to communities through house-to-house visits, schools, religious centers, and markets.”
She however warned against vaccine misinformation, calling on parents, caregivers, religious leaders, traditional rulers, and civil society to stand united in fighting myths and hesitancy.
“Vaccines are safe, effective, and lifesaving,” she stressed, reaffirming her office’s commitment to advocacy, grassroots education, and empowering community leaders.
Acknowledging the vital role of partners such as UNICEF and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, she reiterated the state’s resolve to strengthen routine immunisation and sustain recent progress in maternal and child health under the THEMES+ agenda.
The Lagos State Coordinator of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Chinenye Okafor, commended the resilience and dedication of health workers on the frontlines of immunisation efforts, while highlighting the ongoing challenge of reaching vulnerable children in hard-to-access areas.
She noted that despite progress, “there are still hard-to-reach areas with children who remain unvaccinated and at risk.”
She called for continued societal support for the immunisation campaign, emphasising that reaching every child requires collective effort and sustained financing.
“WHO will continue to work with the government to secure the resources needed to reach underserved communities, especially where there are no health workers on the ground,” she stated.
