Meningitis vaccination is free, says FG

The Federal Government has,on Friday said vaccination for meningitis is free throughout the country and asked Nigerians not to pay for it.

The Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, said this in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday in Abuja.
He told newsmen in a statement on Friday and advised Nigerians to report any health centre or health worker who extorts money for the on- going meningitis immunisation to the nearest law enforcement agency.
He added that some health workers were alleged to have extorted money and other forms of incentives from members of the public before being vaccinated against Cerebro Spinal Meningitis.
Dr, Shuaib said that the vaccination against CSM ,just like any other vaccination in the National Immunization schedule , is free by the Federal Government of Nigeria .
According to him, the vaccines’ preventable diseases are covered free-of-charge under the National Immunisation schedule which includes Bacillus Calmette Guerin – (BCG), Poliomyelitis and Hepatitis B.
Others are Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus toxoid -(Pentavelent vaccines), Haemophilus influenza type B, Pneumococcal vaccines, Inactivated Polio virus vaccines, Measles, Yellow Fever and of course, Meningitis vaccines.
Following the outbreak of meningitis in some parts of the country , the federal government had subsequently made available 500 ,000 doses of meningitis vaccines .
The government is still expecting the delivery of about more 823, 000 doses to curb the outbreak.
Most residents of Kubwa , FCT- Abuja , have alleged that they were being charged N500 by vaccinators per person before receiving the CSM vaccine.
Some residents said that they did not understand the rationale behind the fee, when the federal government had announced that the immunisation was free.
Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord , known collectively as the meninges.It could be deadly If not properly treated.