Dr Adeola Animashaun, Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), has said that awareness on immunization is still very low in the country.
Animashaun, who spoke with the Newsmen, last week in Lagos, said that, more awareness programmes are needed on the subject.
“If you ask an average mother the importance of immunization, she may not know what it means.
“Some mothers see it as a waste of time, while some think it can affect the child and can give the child fever,“ she said.
The doctor urged constant education on the relevance of immunization, saying that it could change the attitude of the people toward it.
Animashaun also called for a forum where people would express their opinions, noting that this could help health officers to identify the issues and find ways to encourage more mothers to immunize their children.
“The best way can be through community health officers, who reach out to mothers in smaller communities, “ the pediatrician said.
She regretted that many children are yet to receive immunization because their parents did not consider it necessary.
“These parents do not know the importance and that is why today Tetanus is still high in developing countries.
“Most mothers give excuses, such as no health facilities nearby, no transportation fares and no money to vaccinate themselves and their children, “ Animashaun said.
She said that myths and the superstitious beliefs of some people also result in poor attitude to immunization, noting that one had to get closer to them to be able to debunk the myths.
The doctor also said that the educational level, especially of the girl child, is low and needs to improve.(NAN)
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