Kwara records progress in child vaccination, nutrition — Report

Kwara State has recorded an increase in childhood vaccination coverage and a decline in malnutrition among children under five, according to the 2025–2026 Nigeria Mini-Demographic and Health Survey.

The survey showed that the proportion of children aged 12 to 23 months who received the third dose of the pentavalent vaccine rose from 34.9 per cent in 2024 to 50.4 per cent in 2025–2026.

It also indicated that the proportion of children who had not received any vaccine dropped from 48.1 per cent to 27.3 per cent during the period.

The Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nusirat Elelu, disclosed the figures in a statement issued on Wednesday by the agency’s Press Secretary, Bukola Abdulganiyu.

Elelu described the findings as encouraging indicators of progress in child health, attributing the improvements to investments in primary healthcare and nutrition interventions by the state government.

The survey, released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, also showed improvements in three major indicators of child malnutrition in the state.

According to the findings, stunting among children under five declined from 40.8 per cent to 35.5 per cent, while wasting fell from 6.1 per cent to 3.5 per cent.

The prevalence of underweight children also dropped from 24.5 per cent to 14.8 per cent.

Stunting refers to impaired growth resulting from prolonged or recurrent undernutrition, while wasting indicates low weight relative to a child’s height and is often associated with acute malnutrition. Underweight reflects low weight for a child’s age.

Commenting on the vaccination figures, Elelu said the increase in pentavalent vaccine coverage underscored the importance of routine immunisation in protecting children against preventable diseases.

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“This improvement in our pentavalent vaccine coverage underscores the Kwara State government effort at improving child health and further reaffirms the importance of routine immunisation in protecting children and promoting healthy development,” she said.

The pentavalent vaccine, administered at six, 10 and 14 weeks of age, protects children against five diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.

On nutrition, the agency’s executive secretary described the decline in malnutrition indicators as one of the most significant improvements recorded in the state in recent years.

“This is one of the greatest improvements in our nutrition indices recorded in Kwara in recent years,” she said.

Elelu said the state government, under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, had invested in nutrition-sensitive interventions at the primary healthcare level and the biannual Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week.

She added that the interventions were producing encouraging results in efforts to improve child survival, growth and overall wellbeing.

Despite the reported progress, the latest figures show that 35.5 per cent of children under five in the state remain affected by stunting, while 27.3 per cent of children aged 12 to 23 months had received no vaccine, highlighting the need to sustain efforts to reach vulnerable children.

The agency said it would continue to strengthen routine and outreach immunisation, community mobilisation, nutrition services and growth monitoring to expand access to essential healthcare.

Elelu urged parents and caregivers to take their children to the nearest primary healthcare centre for free routine immunisation, keep their vaccination cards updated and participate in community outreach programmes.

She also encouraged families to ensure regular monitoring of their children’s growth, adding that the agency would continue to work with healthcare workers, development partners, community leaders and families to consolidate the gains recorded.