An Epidemiologist and Resident Advisor, Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, African Field Epidemiology Network, Dr Muhammad Balogun, has underscored the importance of routine immunization and vaccine, stressing that they go a long way in checkmating and preventing diseases outbreaks. He stated this at a session on ‘Epidemiology of Communicable Diseases and Contextual Reporting during the Africa Disease Reporting Fellowship (ADReF) for journalists reporting health in Africa’. Balogun said, “That is why we have routine immunisation, we don’t wait for any measles outbreak to happen, we don’t wait for Diphtheria, it is routine once a child is born, there is a schedule of the different vaccines that they will get. “However, in spite of the availability of vaccines, there is hesitancy, as some people will not present their children for vaccination and sometimes maybe the vaccines have not been well kept and so do not work. “Once there is a disease outbreak, you do a campaign, vaccination. We do that for things like meningitis, measles, polio and others, and for meningitis, the good news is that we now have a new vaccine — Pentavalent. “It can deal with the three main meningitis stereotypes but also to other bacterial pathogens which eventually we are going to routinize. “So, we are starting the first phase this year and subsequently, it’s going to be part of the routine immunization so that we can end meningitis completely.”
On the prevalence of Lassa fever in parts of the country, the epidemiologist said, “A vaccine had been developed, and very soon, a trial would be conducted to ascertain its efficacy.” According to him, many researches were carried out about the disease over the years, but rodent control has been ineffective. The expert said due to the level of poverty in areas where the disease is endemic, it had been difficult to institute control measures individually. He averred that to bring the disease under control, there must be efforts to develop a magic bullet approach, which would solve the problem. “Just the way smallpox and polio were eradicated through immunization, there is a vaccine now for Lassa fever,” Balogun added.
