AMMKaS, CHR commemorate 2017 African Vaccination Week

The Accountability Mechanism for Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health in Kano State (AMMKaS), and  Community Health & Research Initiative (CHR) Nigeria, with support from the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) have hosted an interactive session with journalists, development partners and members of the civil society in commemoration of the 2017 African Vaccination Week in Kano on Wednesday.

Speaking during the interactive session, Nasir Mahmud, executive secretary of the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board said the commemoration of the 7th African Vaccination Week was an opportunity to create awareness and sensitize the general public including policymakers, parents, and community members on the role they should play in ensuring children were immunized.

While speaking at the event, United Nations Children’s Fund’s representative, Ibrahim Bebeji, described routine immunization as the most successful and cost-effective healthcare intervention calling on all stakeholders to ensure children were immunized towards a healthy society.

The African Vaccination Week is celebrated every April, and this year’s African Vaccination Week is being celebrated between 24 and 30 April 2017 under the theme: “Vaccines protect everyone, get vaccinated!”

This year’s celebration coincides with the 1st anniversary of the Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa which resulted in the first-ever Addis Declaration on Immunization (ADI) signed by Ministers of Health or Heads of Delegation which includes 10 commitments and 4 calls to action and endorsed by head of states on 31st January 2017.