Measles-Rubella Vaccine: Nigeria Urged to Invest in Child Health for Better Quality of Life
By Benjamin GBOR
Nigeria has stepped up advocacy efforts in preparation for introducing the measles-rubella vaccine to prevent congenital defects.
The Centre for Well-Being and Integrated Nutrition Solutions, in a statement by its Head of Mission for the Advocacy Project, Dr Mahmud Zubairu, ahead of the introduction of the vaccine, noted that rubella infections during pregnancy continue to pose a serious but preventable threat to the health of newborns across Nigeria.
As part of the advocacy, it urged stakeholders to invest in child health to ensure national stability and a better quality of life.
C-WINS disclosed that as the government takes steps to introduce the measles-rubella vaccine, the Centre and other organisations are embarking on sustained advocacy to ensure its widespread acceptance.
According to the Centre, the organisations are working closely with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and other government health agencies to boost sensitisation for introducing the measles-rubella vaccine.
It said the organisations have urged stakeholders to support the swift implementation of the vaccine.
C-WINS noted, "Their efforts, including recent collaborations with the Nigeria Governors' Spouses Forum (NGSF), are critical in preparing the nation for the 2025 rollout.
"First Ladies across states such as Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, and Kwara have launched public awareness campaigns, helping drive community mobilisation nationwide."
C-WINS disclosed that its advocacy team recently met with the Nigerian Governors Spouses Forum, chaired by Her Excellency Prof Olufolake AbdulRazaq, Kwara State First Lady, at the NGSF secretariat in Abuja.
It also observed that C-WINS's recent engagement of influential figures such as Nigeria's Market Women Leader-General (Iyaloja General), Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, is also a crucial step to driving grassroots mobilisation for MR vaccine acceptance and uptake.
The C-WINS disclosed that its measles-rubella advocacy team visited Tinubu-Ojo on February 13, 2025.
According to Zubairu, C-WINS Head of Mission, the success of introducing the MR vaccine in Nigeria depends largely on the commitment of governments at all levels to providing the required counterpart funding for the vaccination.
"Through the support of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) and partners, the MR vaccine is available for Nigeria, and our advocacy is to ensure that the government's financial commitments are redeemed on time," he added.
It noted that, like most vaccines, the MR vaccine is not cheap, but with support from the Gavi Alliance and other stakeholders, the cost has been subsidised, making it accessible to Nigerians.
The Centre stated, "To fully realise this opportunity, the campaign's success now depends on timely financial and logistical commitments from federal and state governments, including transport, storage, training, and health worker deployment.
"These efforts are essential to ensuring that Nigerian children are protected from lifelong disabilities and that families are spared emotional and financial burdens due to Rubella. Vaccination remains an investment in a healthier, more stable future for families and communities."
C-WINS also said the media has a pivotal role in shaping public perception, fostering awareness, and promoting vaccine acceptance.
According to it, strategic media engagement and sustained awareness campaigns—which have taken place in key states such as Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River—are essential to ensure that communities understand the lifesaving benefits of MR vaccination.
It said, "Insecurity and misinformation in some parts of the country have previously hindered past vaccination efforts, making a well-coordinated, nationwide-wide campaign all the more critical. Boosting immunisation uptake to the 95 per cent coverage required for herd immunity is crucial to protecting families and communities against measles and Rubella."
"Furthermore, government at all levels must commit to a comprehensive routine immunisation policy prioritising equity and accessibility. The regional and state disparities in vaccine coverages highlighted by the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 2023/2024 indicate that regions like the North-West continue to be underserved and suffer from inadequate immunisation rates compared to the South-South and South-East."
It advised stakeholders that the imbalance in the critical health indices must be addressed urgently through affirmative targeted interventions.
"Governments at all levels and stakeholders must work to eliminate identified security breaches, increase funding for implementation of routine and supplemental immunisation activities and focus on community-based immunisation outreach programmes," it added.
It further said Nigeria stands at a pivotal moment to reduce healthcare strain, improve family well-being, and align with the Sustainable Development Goals, adding that now is the time to secure future generations' health decisively.
It warned that measles-rubella infections can lead to lifelong complications, including blindness, deafness, heart defects, and other disabilities.
The Centre said that after decades of global use, the Nigerian government is preparing to introduce the Measles Rubella vaccine, marking a critical step toward preventing such devastating outcomes.
According to C-WINS, to ensure its success, government agencies, health sector stakeholders, and the media must work together to accelerate a nationwide rollout and protect future generations.
It noted, "Rubella, often mistaken for a mild childhood rash-like illness, frequently overshadowed by measles, carries severe health consequences when contracted by pregnant women.
"Approximately one in every 10 cases seen as measles is, in fact, Rubella. Research has established that maternal rubella infection during the first trimester leads to Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS), which manifests in new-borns as cataracts, heart defects, hearing impairments, and mental disabilities."
It further said the pioneering work of Australian ophthalmologist Norman McAlister Gregg. His research transformed the global understanding of Rubella's devastating impact on foetal development. It led to the introduction of rubella vaccines in 1969, which many countries currently give in combination.
C-WINS stated, "While 175 of 194 WHO member states have already adopted the rubella vaccine in various combinations, Nigeria is preparing to align with this global movement by introducing the MR combination vaccine in 2025, starting in the fourth quarter.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has repeatedly emphasised the necessity of high vaccine coverage to curb measles and rubella transmission. In 2023 alone, global measles cases surged by 20 percent, reaching 10.3 million, with Africa enduring most of the crisis."
WHO data reveals that only 83 percent of children worldwide received their first dose of the measles vaccine, while just 74 percent got their second dose—far below the 95 percent national coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.
Referring to the data from the global body, the Centre stated that Nigeria's vaccination coverage rates remain even lower, with coverage ranging between 50 per cent and 60 per cent, with wide regional disparities further exacerbating the problem.
It stated that these low coverage rates have real consequences, and the consequences of any further delayed action are dire.
"Nearly half of all measles outbreaks in 2023 occurred in Africa, with an estimated 107,500 measles-related deaths-primarily among children under five. Those who survive face long-term complications such as blindness, deafness, and encephalitis. For pregnant women, the stakes are even higher, as rubella infections increase the risk of miscarriages and congenital deformities in new-borns."
The Centre warned that the cost of inaction is too high, adding that with the MR vaccine, Nigeria can achieve substantial economic and social benefits, "from saving lives and reducing healthcare costs to preventing lifelong disabilities and boosting national productivity.
"Now is the time for all stakeholders, including government, media, health workers, and community leaders, to act with urgency and unity to ensure every Nigerian child is protected."
