As the world marks World Immunisation Week 2026, Save the Children International (SCI) has called for urgent and coordinated action to ensure that millions of unvaccinated and under-immunised children in Nigeria are reached with life-saving vaccines.
In a statement to commemorate the week, themed “For Every Generation, Vaccines Work,” the organisation expressed concern that Nigeria continues to record one of the highest numbers of zero-dose children globally—those who have never received a single vaccine.
SCI noted that an estimated 2.1 million Nigerian children have not received any routine vaccination, while about 2.3 million others are under-immunised, highlighting persistent gaps in the country’s health system.
The organisation attributed the situation to several factors, including limited access to healthcare services, weak follow-up and data systems, misinformation, and harmful social and gender norms. It added that these challenges are more pronounced in underserved urban and peri-urban communities, particularly in states like Lagos and Kano.
According to Save the Children, children who are missed by immunisation programmes often face multiple vulnerabilities such as malnutrition, poverty, poor access to water and sanitation, and limited access to quality primary healthcare—factors that increase their risk of severe illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhoea, and meningitis.
The organisation emphasised that immunisation remains one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, saving millions of lives globally each year. It stressed that reaching zero-dose and under-immunised children is critical to improving child survival and achieving equitable health outcomes.
Save the Children Nigeria Country Director, Duncan Harvey, said every child, regardless of where they live, deserves access to life-saving vaccines, calling for stronger collaboration among government, partners, and communities.
As part of its intervention, SCI is implementing the Better Opportunities for Optimal Services and Targeted Immunisation (BOOST) Project in Lagos and Kano States. The project, funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is a four-year initiative (2024–2027) designed to test and scale strategies that improve immunisation uptake, particularly among hard-to-reach populations.
Through the BOOST Project, the organisation is working with government and community stakeholders to strengthen routine immunisation systems, improve data tracking, and enhance community engagement to drive demand for vaccines.
A beneficiary of the programme in Lagos State, Mama Ismail, described vaccination as essential for child health, urging other caregivers to take advantage of available immunisation services.
To accelerate progress, Save the Children called on government and partners to strengthen routine immunisation systems, invest in quality data and follow-up mechanisms, support frontline health workers, address misinformation through trusted community structures, and increase funding for immunisation and primary healthcare.
SCI stressed that World Immunisation Week presents an opportunity to reinforce confidence in vaccines and renew commitment to ensuring that no child is left behind.