Before Eyinnaya‘s child clocked one, she was immunised for free at the National Hospital Abuja. But the gates of free immunisation were shut on father and daughter after she clocked one in February.
He never knew that child immunisation could be costly until his daughter had to get vaccinated against chicken pox, cholera, and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) at Garki Hospital in Abuja.
He told FIJ he got the MMR vaccine at a private healthcare centre while the chickenpox and cholera vaccines were at Garki Hospital in Abuja. And for all three vaccines, Eyinnaya spent N87,010. But that was not the end of the road for him and his daughter.
While getting his daughter immunised, the nurse administering the shots informed him he had to bring her back to the hospital for a second shot. This means Eyinnaya would spend as much as he did for the first shot. Eyinnaya did not mind the cost, even if it meant paying through his nose; he was more concerned about the health and safety of his daughter.
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CHILD IMMUNISATION VACCINES WERE NOT ALWAYS SO COSTLY
Vaccines for infections such as cholera, chicken pox, and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) now cost more than they did in previous years. This disturbs parents like Eyinnaya.
“My neighbour told me that the entire regimen used to cost N25,000 just a year ago. The nurse who administered the shots also confirmed this. This rattles me,” Eyinnaya told FIJ.
In February, Oluwaseun Adeleke, a father of a year and two-month-old infant, also took his daughter for her first shot of the MMR and chickenpox vaccine. Both cost him N47,000.
In late February, he took her to get the second shot of these vaccines and a shot of the cholera vaccine, for which he spent N62,000 — N15,000 more than what he paid just weeks before.
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VACCINES ARE NOT JUST COSTLY, THEY ARE EXPENSIVE
Child immunisation vaccines are often scarce and unavailable at government healthcare centres, FIJ learned in an interview with Adeleke. To get his daughter vaccinated, he had to patronise private medical centres in the state.
Tella Quadri, a medical professional, attributed the scarcity in government hospitals to the lack of storage facilities. He explained that vaccines are often stored under strict conditions and could get damaged if kept without the recommended facilities.
“These vaccines must be stored properly to prevent them from getting bad. The government cannot just stock them up in large quantities because it is hard to store them,” he told FIJ.
Due to the unavailability of some of these vaccines in some government healthcare centres, parents resort to private healthcare centres when immunising their children.
“These vaccines are scarce in some government hospitals, and sometimes people have to consult private hospitals. They are not always readily available, even in private hospitals,” Quadri added.
Adeleke thinks this is concerning.
“In the face of a cost of living crisis, having to spend this much on vaccines and immunisation for children is a call for concern like every other thing.”
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WHY THERE IS AN INCREASE IN THE COST OF VACCINES FOR CHILD IMMUNISATION
Contrary to public opinion that immunisation is free for children of all ages, the government does not administer all vaccines for child immunisation for free.
Free immunisation against certain diseases ends when a child clocks one year — sometimes nine months — according to Idowu Winner, a medical doctor.
He told FIJ that Nigeria’s national immunisation programme does not cover all of these vaccines and is therefore not accessible or subsidised like the others. This, and the reliance on private entities, directly contributes to the cost.
Other factors like the inflation rate, the dollar-to-naira exchange rate, and the locations of the vaccine companies contribute to the hike in the price of these vaccines, according to Deborah Umeaku, a public health practitioner and immunisation professional.
The inflation rate in Nigeria has been skyrocketing for months. In June 2023, the inflation rate stood at 22.79%. But between June 2023 and June 2024, it has increased by 11.4% and now stands at 34.19%.
Umeaku also said that the absence of a price-regulatory agency and the increasing demands for vaccination contribute to the increasing cost in Nigeria.
“Most vaccine companies are not in Nigeria, and bringing them into the country costs a lot. Then there is also the high inflation rate and the dollar-to-naira exchange rate,” said Umeaku.
“Many people did not know about these vaccines a few years ago. But with the rise of information technology, people now know about them, and there is a high demand for them.”
MANY CHILDREN ARE AT RISK
The chances of affording vaccines are slim for many Nigerian parents, considering that about 133 million in the country are multidimensionally poor and that it is persistently bludgeoned by inflation.
Some of the diseases that these vaccines can prevent are deadly. With the poverty level in Nigeria, many children are exposed to situations that put them at a high risk of contracting them. About 25-50% of severe cholera cases, for instance, can be fatal if left untreated.
This disease can be caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. More than 133 million Nigerians live without access to potable water. Similarly, 26.5 million Nigerian children have been reported to experience high or extremely high water vulnerability, according to UNICEF.
Diseases like cholera and chicken pox can also be deadly. Deaths from these diseases are now rare thanks to vaccines. However, such diseases may still cost parents who, unlike Adeleke and Eyinnaya, are unable to afford these vaccines their children.
The healthcare professionals who spoke to FIJ corroborated these concerns. Idowu Winner told FIJ that socioeconomic background has always been a stumbling block in accessing good health care, and children from rural areas whose parents cannot have some of these vaccines are at risk.
“The unavailability and high cost of some of these vaccines have a negative outcome, especially for children from rural areas whose parents cannot afford them. Some, like rotavirus for diarrheal disease, create a health burden,” said Winner.
Umeaku added that these vaccines are essential and they may need to be subsidised regardless of whether the country considers them priorities.
“Many people from low-income households cannot afford these vaccines,” she said.
“These vaccines are still necessary, especially if the child travels to an area with an outbreak of these diseases. Cholera is an epidemic-prone disease in Nigeria. Strangely, the government does not cover it. I assume it is because the government cannot afford it now.”
The post Costs of Child Immunisation Vaccines Are Rising. More Children Will Contract Deadly Diseases appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.