25 Million Nigerians Vaccinated Against Measles; 22 Million Against Yellow Fever – Minister Pate

The coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Muhammad Pate, says that the federal government has administered over 25 million doses of measles vaccine and 22 million yellow fever vaccinations.

Mr Pate disclosed this on Sunday in a broadcast on his official X handle, @muhammadpate, highlighting significant gains recorded in immunisation coverage and preventive healthcare delivery nationwide.

“Under this administration, over 25 million measles doses and 22 million yellow fever vaccinations have been administered, alongside Africa’s first Mpox vaccine rollout,” Mr Pate said.

Mr Pate said beyond measles and yellow fever, five million children had received the pentavalent vaccine, while over 10 million Nigerians were vaccinated with the tetanus diphtheria vaccine through the nationwide diphtheria response.

He added that more than one million vaccine doses from the Gavi-funded global stockpile were deployed to support meningitis outbreak control in northern regions.

The minister said Nigeria had also taken a historic step in malaria control with the introduction of its first-ever malaria vaccine.

“As the country bearing the world’s highest malaria burden, accounting for approximately 39.3 percent of malaria-related deaths among children under five, deployment of the R21 Matrix-M vaccine marks a major public health milestone,” he said.

Mr Pate explained that the malaria vaccine rollout commenced in Bayelsa and Kebbi states, with Kebbi alone targeting 179,542 children aged five to 15 months.

He said Nigeria received one million doses of the malaria vaccine, including 846,200 doses from Gavi and 153,800 financed by the federal government, with plans for further scale-up.

According to the minister, Nigeria is increasingly being defined not only by its disease burden but also by leadership in domestic resource mobilisation and global disease control efforts.

He said that in 2025, the federal government committed 54 million dollars in domestic resources to the global fight against tuberculosis and emerged as the largest African contributor to the Global Fund, as announced at the most recent G20 meeting in Johannesburg.

“These gains are substantive,” Mr Pate said.

He noted that sustained increases in health sector financing across all levels of government, covering primary healthcare infrastructure, workforce development and vaccination campaigns, had reinforced global confidence in Nigeria as a provider of health solutions.

Mr Pate also cited Nigeria’s drive to eliminate cervical cancer, noting that although about 12,000 Nigerian women are diagnosed annually, the disease is preventable through early Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination.

He said that since the launch of the HPV vaccination programme in October 2023 across 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory, over 14 million eligible girls aged nine to 14 years had been vaccinated, representing more than 90 per cent coverage.

The minister said the achievements reflected deliberate sectoral reforms and strengthened coordination through the Sector Wide Approach, aligning all tiers of government with development partners and non-governmental organisations.

He added that formal approval had recently been granted for an additional 68 billion naira for vaccine financing and related requirements, with funds lodged at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and scheduled for release.

Mr Pate said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu extended beyond economic reform and infrastructure investment and was anchored on the development of the Nigerian person.

He said Nigeria’s population of over 240 million was increasingly demonstrating commitment to accessing quality health services and preventive tools that protect lives, reduce avoidable illness and sustain productivity.

According to him, this progress is reflected in measurable improvements in health service utilisation across the country.

“In the second quarter of 2024, health facilities nationwide recorded approximately 10 million hospital visits. By the second quarter of 2025, visits exceeded 45 million, representing a more than fourfold increase,” Mr Pate said.

He explained that the rise reflected increased use of essential and life-saving services, particularly immunisation, among Nigeria’s youthful population, which had previously been constrained by misinformation, distrust and limited access.

According to him, the administration remains committed to ensuring that preventable illness and avoidable death no longer constrain the capacity of Nigerians to live healthy, productive and dignified lives.

(NAN)