An official of the World Health Organization (WHO) and a pharmacist Bonet Samuel has stated that it is necessary for parents to bring their infants for immunization for six periods to ensure their healthy growth.
Samuel who is the surveillance officer of WHO in Gombe State stated this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent at the end of an orientation meeting organized by a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) known as ‘Chigari Foundation’ for traditional rulers in the state on polio and routine immunizations.
He said a child should be brought to health facility for immunization against preventable diseases in his first two weeks warning that if he or she misses the vaccine, they can never be fully immunized and are at risk of getting disability among other problems.
“Parents are expected to bring their children for immunization. Specifically we say, they are supposed to visit the health facility six times to access the services provided. During those six periods, they are expected to be administered with vaccines at various intervals, that is at birth, at six weeks, at 10 weeks, at 14 weeks, at nine months and at 15 months”, he advised.
While saying that the level of immunization in the state was still not too good, the World Health Organization official called on traditional rulers as critical stakeholders to sensitize the people on the need for vaccination to mitigate child mortality.
According to him, malaria vaccines too would be available in Gombe State in the next few months which he said would help in curbing the effects of malaria among the residents.
