Vaccine shortages portend public health crisis
Like many other developing countries, Nigeria has for years been engaged in battles to control or eradicate childhood diseases through frequent immunization exercises. Measles and polio are among some of the most common and endemic, although the latter has been receding for some time. Vigilance and continuous supply of vaccines are essential in any control and eradication measure.
It should trouble the authorities therefore that the nation’s vaccines stock for four child killer diseases- measles, yellow fever, hepatitis B and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin - may be running out. The alarm to this possibility was raised by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), which monitors the administration and procurement of vaccines.
Indeed, the agency said that yellow fever vaccines ran out in December last year, while supplies of others for tetanus, polio and hepatitis are already low. The NPHDA also expressed the fear that with the 2014 national budget yet to see the light of the day, releasing funds on time to procure the vaccines needed for the year would be a challenge.
This funding gap should not be allowed to materialise, otherwise the consequences of that happening would be catastrophic. Given the tedious bureaucracy and the cumbersome procedure for the procurement of vaccines abroad, there is need that this be given expeditious considerations. The rigorous and committed campaigns to create awareness in the immunization efforts since independence, which in recent years have seen drops in mortality among children and pregnant women, must be sustained.
Any suggestion of vaccine shortage in health institutions could have severe disruptive effects on the cycle of immunisations. Mothers could be discouraged from taking the necessary steps that could be life-saving for their children to get immunized. And once they are turned off, it will be difficult to lure them back.
There is no doubt that the country has been grappling with challenges of development in all sectors; but health requires special attention. There are certain vital issues in this sector that should not be left to the vicissitudes of the budget politics. One of them is the availability of vaccines for children’s immunization. Priority ought to be placed on issues that affect the health and wellbeing of children who are the most vulnerable segment of the population. If preventive measures aimed at guaranteeing the health of children are not taken at the appropriate time, society would inevitably do them later and at a prohibitive cost.
Unless the authorities take urgent remediation measure to restock the vaccines, the country could be facing a public health emergency sooner than thought. There is need to fast-track the process of procuring vaccines to prevent this from happening. But beyond the need to take whatever necessary steps to ensure the restocking of vaccines, the current disturbing development raises the larger issue of why Nigeria continues to rely on imports for such a vital healthcare component like vaccines, which can be produced here at less cost and with longer shelf life. It amounts to misplaced priority that with all its endowments, Nigeria is not yet self-reliant even in the most basic of healthcare needs for its vulnerable citizens.
The current shortage and the panic it could create should be a wakeup call to the health authorities to plan for the local production and distribution of vaccines. With many government research agencies and private-funded outlets involved in medical research, this should not present a problem. Indeed, the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and development could lead the way in finding a permanent solution to the problem.