The Federal Government in collaboration with World Health organization (WHO) has approved University Teaching Hospital Enugu and the University Teaching Hospital Ilorin as special sentinel sites for surveillance of Rotavirus Diarrhea disease and Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis in children.
The findings from these sentinel sites will help on information sharing and data collection on rotavirus and pneumococcal disease burden and impact of the vaccine introduction into routine immunization, which will guide public health policy and interventions.
Speaking further on the sentinel sites, the Executive Director and Chief Executive, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib disclosed that although the Federal Government, in collaboration with WHO operated five sentinel sites for new Vaccines Surveillance in Nigeria, only University Teaching Hospital, Enugu and that of Ilorin had been designated as sentinel sites for Rotavirus and other diarrhea –related diseases among Children aged under 5 years.
Dr. Faisal said that data generated from the sentinel sites would be used to determine the burden of various organisms causing the diarrhea diseases or meningitis, the impact of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), newly introduced into routine immunization schedule and providing baseline data for different serotypes of rotavirus and other diarrhea causing pathogen diseases before the planned Rotavirus vaccine introduction in year 2018.
He gave the assurance that the Federal Government would continue to work closely with the 2 teaching hospitals in Enugu and Ilorin, other sentinel sites and partners to further reduce morbidity and mortality from vaccine preventable diseases.
According to him, the three other Universities serving as sentinel sites for only Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis (PBM) are the University Teaching Hospital Benin, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi and Lagos University Teaching Hospital Lagos.
Dr. Faisal recalled that the Federal Ministry of Health first introduced new vaccine surveillance site at University teaching Hospital Lagos in June, 2009 while the National Primary Health Care Development Agency made a proposal for the expansion of the sites thereafter, following technical support given by the World Health Organization in view of the introduction of some new vaccines such as pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV).
The University Teaching Hospital Enugu, he disclosed, commenced its Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis (PBM) and rotavirus surveillance in December, 2011.
The Executive Director appealed to parents, guardians and all caregivers to avail themselves of the rare opportunity provided by the joint investments of the Federal Government and WHO.
Dr. Faisal described immunization as one of the best investments by the Federal Government and reiterated the Federal Government continued commitment to investing in the health of children, adding that Government’s introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in 2015 left no body in doubt of such commitment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that rotavirus vaccines should be introduced into the routine immunization schedule especially in countries with high diarrhea mortality rates in children as part of a comprehensive approach to prevent and control diarrhea. In Nigeria, the NPHCDA with support from GAVI and technical support from WHO and other partners continue the drive to introduce more new vaccines such as rotavirus vaccines and strengthening of disease surveillance aimed at reducing preventable death among Nigeria Children especially from diarrhea and pneumonia by 2025.
Nigeria is among the countries in West Africa along with Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’ lvoire, Ghana, Senegal, Togo and Sierra Leone selected to conduct sentinel sites surveillance for all forms of diarrhea diseases amongst children under 5 years.
