NPHCDA Boss Refutes Rumours of Harmful Vaccination

… Says vaccines used in Nigeria meet global standards

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

Contrary to rumours and wild speculations making the rounds that the present vaccines being used within the country are harmful, the Executive Secretary of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, has come out to refute such claims.

While lamenting how far the rumours have gone and their potency to disrupt on-going and future vaccination programmes, ‎Shuaib said all vaccines used in Nigeria meet international standards and quality set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and are further certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

While encouraging parents and guardians to make their children and wards available for the polio, measles and yellow fever vaccines which will commence in October, the PHC boss said the benefits ‎of immunisation is the most effective public health intervention and it prevents diseases and confers immunity, as well as protect the people we care about.

He said: “The attention of the federal government has been drawn to rumours concerning vaccination perceived to be harmful to children. It wishes to state clearly that there was no such harmful vaccination that took place nor any currently taking place in any part of the country.
“Most importantly, the federal government wishes to re-assure all parents and guardians of the safety, potency and effectiveness of all vaccines. All vaccines used in Nigeria meet international standards and quality set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and are further certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

“Those peddling such un-patriotic, malicious and misleading information should desist from such acts that undermine our trust and faith in the health system.

‎”The benefits ‎of immunisation is the most effective public health intervention. The primary benefit of vaccination is that it prevents disease and confers immunity. Vaccination protects the people we care about, it is cost-effective and saves lives.

‎”As Nigeria conducts national rounds of Polio, Yellow Fever and Measles campaigns, beginning from October 2017, all parents are urged to continue to avail their children of the opportunity to receive the safe vaccines and thereby protect them from vaccine preventable diseases,” he added.