As World Immunization Week 2026 kicks off, new data reveals a staggering crisis in Nigeria’s child health landscape: an estimated 2.1 million children have never received a single routine vaccine.
This figure places Nigeria as the country with the second-highest burden of “zero-dose” children globally.
Combined with another 2.3 million under-immunized children those who started but failed to complete their schedules millions of Nigerian infants remain dangerously exposed to preventable killers like pneumonia, diarrhea, and meningitis.
According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) analysis, at least 41% of deaths in Nigerian children under the age of five are vaccine-preventable.
Gavi estimates that these missed opportunities result in approximately 337,000 annual deaths nationwide.
Currently, only about one-third of Nigerian children aged 12–23 months are fully immunized. Those missed by the health system often face a vulnerability, including malnutrition, poor sanitation and extreme poverty.
Marking the week (April 24–30) under the theme “For every generation, vaccines work,”.
Save the Children Nigeria is demanding a coordinated push to reach underserved urban and peri-urban settlements, particularly in Lagos and Kano States.
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“Vaccines have protected families for generations, yet millions of Nigerian children are still missing out on this basic right,” said Duncan Harvey, Country Director for Save the Children Nigeria. “World Immunization Week is a reminder that every child, regardless of where they live, deserves access to life-saving vaccines.”
To combat these gaps, the BOOST Project (Better Opportunities for Optimal Services and Targeted Immunisation) is currently being implemented. Funded by GSK, this four-year initiative (2024–2027) works directly with the government to Identify and reach zero-dose children in high-burden local government areas, Strengthen caregiver demand and community trust, Improve data systems to track “defaulters” who drop out of the vaccination cycle.
The impact is already being felt on the ground. Mama Ismail, a project participant in Lagos, shared her appeal to other parents: “I am appealing to every mother in my community to take their children for vaccination because it is very important for their good health.”
Save the Children Nigeria urges the government and stakeholders to adopt the following measures:
Prioritize Underserved Areas: Focus routine systems on reaching “zero-dose” clusters in urban slums and remote settlements.
Modernize Tracking: Invest in high-quality data and multiple contact points to ensure no child misses a follow-up dose.
Empower Health Workers: Provide the resources and training necessary for respectful, high-quality service delivery.
Combat Misinformation: Partner with trusted community leaders to address harmful social norms and vaccine hesitancy.
Sustainable Funding: Increase domestic financing for primary healthcare to ensure long-term vaccine coverage.
Since 2000, measles vaccinations alone have saved nearly 20 million lives across Africa.
Nigeria now stands at a crossroads where sustained investment can turn the tide for the next generation.
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children, working in Nigeria since 2001 to ensure children survive, learn, and are protected.