He said the HPV vaccine, like all other vaccines in the national vaccination schedule, is available free of charge at PHC facilities nationwide.
The federal government said on Tuesday that more than 61.5 million Nigerians, most children, have been vaccinated against measles, yellow fever, human papillomavirus (HPV), malaria and MPOX.
Muyi Aina, executive director and chief executive officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja to mark the 2025 African vaccination week.
Aina said in the 2024 measles and yellow fever campaign, 25.9 million children were vaccinated against measles in 26 states, and 22.5 million received yellow fever vaccines in Lagos, Yobe and Borno states.
He also said Nigeria managed to control the outbreak of cholera in eight states, including floods in Borno, vaccinations and other interventions.
Aina said the agency is working to improve the quality of its health campaigns to address outbreaks related to gaps in the scope of daily vaccinations.
“We were able to map almost 540,000 settlements across the country, but what’s interesting was the use of the polio campaign as a pilot, which is why we tracked and vaccinated 851,929 (92%), as a database of children under the age of 926,007 is listed, and we tracked and vaccinated 851,929 (92%) beyond the high-risk ward of polio.
He said the agency is implementing the same strategy to expand campaign coverage, expand routine vaccination outreach and significantly reduce the number of children with zero administration.
He pointed out that the vision is to leave children with no immunity.
He said the agency has expanded delivery of last mile vaccines in Kano, Bauch, Sokoto, Kaduna, Borno, Yobe states, to ensure access in hard-to-reach areas.
He added that the government is investing in vaccine security through improved cold chain systems, including the completion of the Lagos vaccine hub, the continued construction of similar facilities in Kano, and the upgrade to the existing Abujahab supported by UNICEF.
He said 1,653 solar refrigerators have also been procured in collaboration with Gavi and Unicef to address the vaccine storage gap at PHC levels.
HPV, malaria and MPOX vaccines have been introduced
Aina said Nigeria has introduced three new vaccines: HPV, malaria and MPOX vaccines.
He said the HPV vaccine was introduced in October 2023 and May 2024, targeting girls aged 9 to 14. He said so far more than 13 million adolescent girls have received vaccines in all 36 states and in FCT.
“The HPV vaccines introduced in October 2023 and May 2024 marked a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to eliminate cervical cancer in Nigeria given that they are 99% effective when the vaccine is administered,” he said.
He said the HPV vaccine, like all other vaccines in the national vaccination schedule, is available free of charge at PHC facilities nationwide.
With malaria, he said Nigeria began phased out the R21 malaria vaccine in 2024, targeting children in areas with the highest malaria burden – Kebby and Bayersa
Aina said 101,158 children have been vaccinated from the 1 million doses they have received so far.
“There were restrictions on vaccine supply and we also had to learn from new experiences. We received about 1 million doses. We vaccinated 101,158 children in two states,” he said.
He added that 4,306 people, including frontline healthcare workers and immunocompromised individuals, have received the MPOX vaccine in seven states.
Polio, CVPV2 case
The executive director announced that the next round of polio vaccinations will begin in the Northern Province on April 26th and in the South on May 3rd.
However, he expressed concern over the continued transmission of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (CVPV2). He said so far in 2025, Nigeria has recorded 17 CVPV2 cases with 15 LGAs in eight states.
“Of the 17 cases, 12 were cases of acute relaxation paralysis, and five were found at environmental sites, indicating that there is still an active transmission of the virus in a country that we need to stop,” he said.
“We therefore embarked on strategic changes in key components of the polio campaign, including vaccination team selection, demand generation, supervision, and accountability.”
At the event, Walter Mrombo, a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) country, said vaccinations are human rights and remain an important part of primary health care.
Mulombo, who was represented by Eshetu Wase, the head of the expansion program on vaccinations, said that vaccinations currently prevent 35-5 million diseases each year.
“The future of vaccination means not only reaching millions of children who have never received a single dose, but also protecting pregnant mothers with polio, measles, meningitis, and tetanus, as well as young girls with HPV, babies with flu, malaria, and grandparents with lifelong disability,” he said.
Africa’s Vaccination Week
African Vaccination Week is celebrated annually from April 24th to 30th as part of World Vaccination Week. The theme for 2025 is “vaccinations are possible for everyone.”
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In a message to mark the week, acting, Africa’s regional director, Chikwei Ihekweaz said the theme is a strong call to action.
Ihekweazu said vaccinations are not just one of the most effective public health tools. It is a fundamental rights, shared responsibility and a significant investment in our future.
He said the vaccine has saved an estimated 154 million lives over the past 50 years, reduced infant mortality by 40%, and protected people from more than 30 fatal illnesses.
“Together, this theme is making sure we can reach all the last children, strengthen our health system and restore and expand the daily vaccination services that have been destroyed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Ihekweazu recalls the global community celebrating 50 years of its 2024 vaccination expansion program.
But he said, despite progress, too many people in the area still lack access to essential vaccines.
“One in five children in Africa remains vaccinated. In 2023 alone, 6.7 million children have not received the vaccine at all – so-called “zero-dose” children. Measles outbreaks continue, but vaccine-derived polioviruses pose a threat,” he said.
