The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in collaboration with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) and with technical and financial support from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), has successfully concluded a two-day Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Stakeholders Coordination and Technical Working Group Workshop in Abuja.
The workshop, brought together key stakeholders including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH & SW), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Emergency Committee (NEC) members, Chairmen of State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (SDSNOs), Chairmen of State Epidemiologists, and development partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
The meeting aimed to strengthen coordination and preparedness for AEFI and Vaccine-Related Events (VRE) ahead of Nigeria’s Phase 2 Measles–Rubella vaccination campaign across 16 states.
Participants deliberated on harmonizing reporting systems, strengthening referral pathways, improving data quality, and reinforcing readiness for timely detection, investigation, and communication of AEFI and VRE cases.
Emphasis was placed on ensuring scientific rigor in causal assessments and enhancing real-time monitoring to enable rapid response while sustaining public confidence in immunization programmes.
Stakeholders acknowledged existing strengths, including functional coordination structures, strong multi-agency collaboration, availability of trained personnel, established national guidelines, digital reporting tools, and improved communication systems.
However, they also identified critical gaps such as inconsistent state-level performance, underreporting of cases, and limited logistics capacity in some areas.
To address these challenges, the group agreed on priority actions including conducting refresher trainings, deploying supervisors to support states, harmonizing reporting platforms, strengthening risk communication strategies, and advocating for increased state-level funding to sustain AEFI systems.
A major milestone of the workshop was the official launch and handover of nationally developed AEFI Social and Behavior Change (SBC) materials to government authorities and partners.
The materials will be integrated into campaign trainings, deployed at vaccination sites, and used for community engagement to improve awareness, encourage timely reporting, manage misinformation, and build public trust ahead of the Measles–Rubella campaign.