Lagos State and National Primary Health Care Development Agency Collaborate to Launch Big Catch-Up Routine Immunization Intensification Program.
Lagos State, through the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), is set to launch the Big Catch-Up Routine Immunization Intensification Program in five Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the State.
The initiative, which runs from Friday, February 14th to Wednesday, February 19th, 2025, aims to address the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immunization coverage and reduce the growing burden of zero-dose children.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which affected global health systems in 2020 and 2021, led to a substantial decline in immunization coverage worldwide, marking the worst setback in three decades. This disruption resulted in a nearly 40% increase in the number of zero-dose (unvaccinated) children globally, rising from 13.3 million in 2019 to 18.2 million in 2021.
This alarming trend highlights a critical global emergency for child survival and underscores the urgency for targeted interventions.
Nigeria, aligning with the global mandate of “leaving no child behind,” recognizes the need to ensure all children have access to life-saving interventions, including immunization and other primary health care (PHC) services. In Nigeria, approximately 8.7 million children are under the age of one, with 2.3 million of them (26.5%) classified as zero-dose children, according to the 2022 World Universal Immunization Coverage Report (WUENIC). Nigeria continues to bear the highest global burden of zero-dose children.
The pandemic disrupted immunization efforts, resulting in multiple outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and exacerbating the prevalence of zero-dose children. In response, the Big Catch-Up program has been designed to address this critical gap and make strides toward vaccinating under-immunized and zero-dose children.
The program will utilize scientifically validated methods to prioritize children who missed immunizations between 2019 and 2022. The initiative aims to reach at least 60% of these children through dedicated outreach services, mobile vaccination units, and other interventions, ensuring the restoration of full immunization coverage.
The goal of the program is to vaccinate children aged 24-59 months who missed routine immunizations with the Pentavalent Vaccine, Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), and Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (BOPV). Additionally, children aged 0-23 months will be vaccinated according to the National Immunization Schedule. The focus is on preventing the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases and reducing the zero-dose burden in Lagos State.
The Big Catch-Up program also emphasizes equity and accessibility by addressing identified gender barriers and social determinants that may hinder immunization coverage. This initiative is crucial in ensuring that no child is left behind, with particular attention to reaching the most vulnerable populations.
