Vaccines safe, Medical Practioners assure Nigerians

By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko

Some Medical Practioners on Wednesday stressed that vaccines were safe and healthy, urging Nigerians to embrace them.

They made the remarks at the 2024 Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Oyo Scientific Conference in Ibadan.

The conference had the theme “Vaccines: the facts and the myths” and sub-theme as “Combating vaccine hesitancy in clinical and public health settings”.

Dr Adeola Fowotade, a Clinical Virologist at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, said most diseases in Nigeria could be preventable with vaccination.

Fowotade added that the vaccines available were not meant for children alone but also for adults.

She said that people were showing apathy toward  the vaccines as a result of some myths associated with them.

“Some say vaccines cause autism; that HPV vaccine causes infertility, makes girls promiscuous and contains harmful substances, among other myths.

“But large scale studies done by Centre for Disease Control and World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that vaccines are not only safe but very effective and can prevent diseases.

“Not having sex alone  as some parents think, is not enough to protect a child from having the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV); the best way is by vaccination,” she said.

An Epidemiologist at UCH, Ibadan, Prof. David Dairo, also emphasised that vaccines are safe, effective and free as well.

Dairo urged Nigerians to take advantage of the vaccines that are available, especially the HPV vaccine for girls.

“The HPV vaccine is available in health care facilities and schools; it’s free, and very beneficial,” he said.

He emphasised that the Child Rights Law stipulated that guardians and parents should ensure that their wards got full vaccination.

“There should be a policy whereby vaccination cards should be provided like NIMC, driver’s licence and made available for adults even before seeking admission or any national enlistment,” he said.

The Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Rasheed Bakare, a professor of Microbiology (rtd) from University of Ibadan, said vaccines were the most effective ways to prevent viruses.

“So, people should remove the fear to take  them,” Bakare said.

Also, the Oyo State NMA Acting Chairman, Dr Happy Adedapo, showed concerns over the number of health practitioners going against the use of vaccines.

“It’s worrisome that even health workers are now joining a good number of people having misconceptions about vaccines; that’s what informed the choice of our theme.

“We need to educate ourselves, give out the appropriate information for the society.

“Vaccines are safe. We want people to embrace vaccination. People should put their trust in the science behind vaccination.

“With the advent of science, there are evidences that vaccines are actually good for health.

“The side effects people complain of are as a result of the fact that the body is now adjusting to a foreign body that has been introduced, not because of the vaccines.

“When you introduce the vaccine, it stimulates the body to build immunity to fight those organisms that the vaccine is targeting,” Adedapo explained. (NAN)