Brief – Suspicion, lack of trust, fear and ignorance are just some of the reasons parents do not allow their newborns to be vaccinated.

In an effort to change this, the World Health Organisation held a three-day free vaccination exercise for infants under a year old, from Saturday to Monday, May 14 to 16, in the Jere Local Government Area and the Maiduguri.

RNI reporter Nana Hadiza Mustapha said the infants were vaccinated against hepatitis, measles, yellow fever and polio.

Muhammad Usman Imam, a WHO officer, said vaccines prevented the spread of contagious, dangerous and deadly diseases. He emphasised the importance of vaccines, saying they were simple, safe and effective.

Vaccines helped the infant’s natural body defences to build resistance to specific infections and made their immune systems stronger. He urged parents to complete the vaccination course and follow it up with a booster shot.

AISHA SD JAMAL