By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
The Kwara Government in partnership with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged non secular leaders to counter myths and misconceptions about vaccination and promote maternal and little one well being.
The name was made on Friday in Ilorin at a one-day orientation programme for non secular leaders on selling constructive norms by means of the “Faith-for-Life” strategy.
Speaking on the programme, Prof. Nusirat Elelu, Executive Secretary, Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency mentioned conventional and spiritual leaders commanded belief and respect of their communities making them essential companions in selling healthcare.
Elelu mentioned their involvement was essential to decreasing maternal and toddler mortality, notably in communities the place cultural beliefs and misinformation discouraged households from looking for important healthcare.
She mentioned some beliefs that discouraged blood transfusions and caesarean sections may contribute to preventable maternal deaths.
She urged non secular leaders to accumulate correct well being info to assist dispel misconceptions and encourage communities to embrace important well being providers.
“We need people like you to strengthen health advocacy in our communities. You occupy positions of trust and are voices of authority as imams and pastors.
“We need your support in addressing the challenges of maternal, newborn and infant mortality, immunisation, hygiene and sanitation, and child protection,” she mentioned.
According to Elelu, defending the well being and survival of girls and kids is a collective accountability.
She known as for applicable antenatal care, measures to scale back stillbirths, unique breastfeeding for the primary six months of life and routine immunisation.
The govt secretary expressed concern that misinformation, misconceptions and cultural obstacles continues to delay health-seeking behaviour and forestall households from accessing important healthcare providers.
Also talking, Mr Ibrahim Tsado, Social and Behaviour Change Specialist on the UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, urged non secular leaders to take an energetic function in dispelling vaccine myths and selling confidence in immunisation.
Tsado mentioned vaccines have been topic to stringent regulatory processes and security assessments earlier than approval to be used.
He urged non secular leaders to make use of their affect to advertise correct well being info and encourage dad and mom to make sure their kids obtained routine immunisation.
Similarly, Dr Eyitayo Emmanuel, WHO State Coordinator, reaffirmed the significance of vaccine security, noting that related authorities topic all vaccines to rigorous analysis earlier than approval.
In her remarks, Dr Gloria Enueze, UNFPA State Coordinator, urged dad and mom to make sure their kids obtained routine immunisation.
Enueze additionally inspired pregnant girls to take really useful vaccines to guard themselves and their unborn infants.
The Director of Primary Health Care Systems, Dr Michael Oguntoye, defined that vaccines go by means of a number of levels of testing and regulatory scrutiny, together with NAFDAC evaluation.
Oguntoye dismissed claims that vaccines have been getting used to scale back Nigeria’s inhabitants, describing allegations that immunisation programmes have been designed for inhabitants management as unfounded.
He defined that donor funding for vaccine programmes doesn’t suggest that donors independently manufacture the vaccines.
He added that vaccines utilized in Nigeria have been additionally utilized in different international locations, together with the United States and the United Kingdom.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reviews that contributors on the programme included members of the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
Others have been the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI).(NAN)
Edited by Abujah Racheal and Yetunde Fatungase
