On Military's Nationwide Vaccination

On Military's Nationwide Vaccination.


According to the WHO - World Health Organisation, A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency through the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Nigerian Medical Association and other donor agencies like UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others has been at the forefront of providing vaccination to children from age 0-59 months especially and others in the country over the years. They provide services ranging from oral polio vaccines, measles vaccination, hepatitis vaccination, malaria vaccination, thyroid vaccination among others.

The Nigerian Armed Forces involvement in this act however, is a laudable one and worthy of commendation. The military has shown that they care for the nation through this civil-military relationship.

Meanwhile, there are serious questions that are begging for immediate answer as to the recent hullabaloo in the nation coming from this kind gesture from the military to certain school children across the nation.

1. What kind of vaccines are being administered to these children.

2. What are the benefits to the age bracket in focus.

3. What is the history of military's vaccination in public schools across the country.

4. How did the military acquire the vaccine(s).

5. How prepared are the target group:

a. Information

b. Permission

c. Supervision

6. Is this a militarys sole decision?

7. What is the position of the Federal Ministry of Health on the happenings around the nation.

8. Why are there widespread rejection on a daily basis of these kind gesture from the military.

As soon as the above are answered, I would like to beg the Armed Forces not to deter in their efforts at helping the nation in times like this that constituted authorities and institutions have not performed adequately as to provoke others to rendering a helping hand.

Future campaigns should be properly advertised so as to avert widespread misinformation.

I want to also propose that such gesture be taken to the IDP camps all over the nation where such is desperately needed especially in the Northern part of the country before spreading to the Southern parts.

I will like to pause here.

Thank you for your attention.


*Oluwatoyin Afonja*,
toyinafonja@gmail.com
Peace, Conflict, Security and Development Analyst.