Nigeria joins a select group of nations in establishing a formal vaccine response plan, aiming to boost immunisation safety and foster public trust with guidance from the US CDC.
Nigeria has joined a small group of countries building a formal response plan for vaccine-related events, in what health officials described as a step towards stronger immunisation safety and greater public trust. At a launch in Abuja, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the framework would help Nigeria identify, investigate and respond more quickly to any concerns that arise after vaccination.
Dr Janet Gidudu, who leads the CDC’s global immunisation safety team, said Nigeria could become a model for other African countries as they develop similar systems. She said vaccine safety could not rest with one agency alone and argued that African governments should generate more of their own safety data rather than depending mainly on evidence from richer countries.
The new approach is designed to work across different vaccines instead of relying on separate plans for each product. Gidudu said that flexibility matters because outbreaks and vaccination campaigns can change quickly, whether for measles, polio or routine childhood immunisation. The CDC has worked in Nigeria since 2001, supporting outbreak response and laboratory capacity as well as vaccination campaigns, including efforts around measles-rubella immunisation.
Officials from Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency said the plan brings together surveillance, investigation, clinical management, causality assessment, communication and community engagement. Dr Muyi Aina said rapid rumours or fears around vaccine safety can spread faster than health authorities can verify the facts, making advance preparation essential. He said implementation must involve federal and state health bodies, regulators, clinicians, community workers and development partners.
AFENET, which worked with Nigerian health agencies on the baseline assessment and validation of the plan, said the framework is meant to be practical, not merely a policy document. The group said its wider vaccine safety project was created to address fragmented reporting and weak coordination, while the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said it would continue working with partners to monitor vaccine safety and keep public confidence intact.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
