Month: February 2026

Moshood Isah

There is no doubt that significant effort goes into expanding vaccination reach, especially to the last mile and by extension, Universal Health Coverage (UHC). One critical aspect of this process is definitely the supply chain process that ensures the right vaccines reach the last mile when needed and in the most potent conditions.  

Vaccines are highly sensitive to temperature variations, including heat, light, and even excessive cold. This makes its delivery especially to underserved remote communities utmostly critical to the general immunization process. Over the last decade, eHealth Africa, with support from Sokoto State Government, Gates Foundation, and Dangote foundation has facilitated the delivery of over 10 million vaccines and dry goods across over 351 Primary Healthcare facilities in the 23 Local Government Areas of Sokoto State. 

In a bid to replicate the impact in Sokoto state across other locations, eHealth Africa recently conducted a comprehensive high-impact capacity building for Direct Vaccine Delivery and Cold Chain officers in Bauchi state. These sessions revealed that delivering vaccines to underserved communities goes beyond moving vaccines from one place to another. Cold Chain officers and delivery officers were exposed to the deployment of digital tools for better accountability and ensuring that, indeed, all vaccines that got to PHCs are safe for consumption.

The Program Manager, Disease Prevention and Monitoring, Abubakar Shehu, explained that the capacity-building session conducted by ehealth Africa in partnership with the state government and the Ministry of Health was inspired by the need to bridge existing vaccine delivery gaps in the state. 

Abubakar Shehu said the session is critical not only for ensuring safe vaccine delivery but also for strengthening accountability and potency monitoring. He said, “As a leader in the immunization space with more than a decade of experience, eHealth Africa is exposing partners to important digital tools such as the Logistics Management Information System (LoMIS) and temperature monitoring devices to ensure vaccines reach the last mile and remain accessible to the children who need them most.”

. This, according to him, will go a long way in not just boosting vaccine delivery but bringing more eligible children into the immunization net. 

Leading the capacity building session, eHealth Africa’s Sokoto Vaccine Direct Delivery Coordinator, Ahmadu Bello, revealed that some of the gaps identified are the absence of proper temperature monitoring during vaccine transit. He said, “Vaccines are picked up from the cold store and delivered to facilities, but what happens between the cold store and the facility is not recorded. This lack of accountability could endanger the vaccines. ”

He also pointed out inconsistencies in monthly delivery schedules. “We also observed an inconsistency in monthly delivery schedules. If delivery begins in the first week, it must remain consistent; otherwise, stock-outs may occur. To address this, we encourage coordination between the central cold store, the national level, and the Primary Healthcare facilities  to ensure timely distribution”, he added 

Another critical aspect of vaccine delivery that significantly impacts not only immunization services but overall community health is reverse logistics. Bello emphasized that it is not enough to routinely distribute vaccines to PHCs without carefully assessing actual demand. “Some locations require more medical supplies than others, so it is important to prioritize facilities experiencing higher demand rather than allowing vaccines to sit on shelves elsewhere and eventually expire,” he noted.

He also stressed that the proper disposal of used vials and other dry waste remains essential to prevent harm to health workers and community members. “These are key lessons participants have taken away and will cascade to the colleagues they work with,” he added.

If anything, the sessions have changed the perception of Vaccine delivery officers to understand how their role is directly linked to saving lives and expanding vaccination reach. Relishing the potential impact of the capacity building,  state team lead for Vaccine delivery, Abubakar muhammad said, “Now we understand timely delivery reduces wastage and stock-outs. We also learned the importance of deploying temperature trackers”.

Muhammed  reiterated that the capacity building is a major springboard for improved immunization services in Bauchi state, saying, “With this new knowledge gained, we will deliver vaccines on time and make sure each facility receives vaccines with potency and in good condition.”  

In a similar vein, Pharmacist Muhammad Kabir Salisu, Assistant State Logistics Officer, revealed that his team learned how to maintain vaccine potency from national entry to facility delivery, saying they were introduced to tracking applications and temperature monitoring systems.

He emphasized the need for every personnel in the supply chain to take responsibility for protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases. He stated, “If you are a health professional and a hospital is built in your community, you should understand it is not meant only for your community. If essential medicines are not delivered properly and a life is lost, that responsibility rests with you.”

He added, “The same applies to immunization. If you do not deliver safe vaccines to the last mile, you are failing the people. That is the message to my entire team.”

Through sustained investment in digital innovation, capacity strengthening, and last-mile delivery systems, eHealth Africa continues to bridge critical gaps in vaccine access and accountability. By combining technology, field expertise, and strong government collaboration, the organization is strengthening supply chains, improving vaccine potency monitoring, and enhancing delivery consistency across states. As these efforts deepen and expand, more communities are gaining reliable access to safe vaccines, reinforcing stronger immunization systems and healthier futures for children.

Moshood Isah 

Recent experience shows that misinformation, often coupled with mutual distrust among public health personnel and other stakeholders, is the bane of immunization campaigns, especially in remote communities in Africa.  While it may sound weird that in 2026, vaccine hesitancy is still being experienced in some communities, it’s only valid that human beings only trust what they have ample information and education about. 

There is no doubt that organizations have consistently conducted awareness programs to support various immunization campaigns. However, it remains essential to continuously evolve strategies that reach more communities with accurate and timely information.

 For instance, the head of social mobilization in Bauchi Local Government Education Authority (LEA ) of the state, Ahmed Rufai Mukaddas, noted that caregivers often remain suspicious about the rationale behind the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which targets young girls between 9 and 14 years. 

“I recall a situation where a caregiver rushed into a school during an HPV vaccination exercise to withdraw her children to prevent them from receiving the vaccine.” He said.  According to Rufai, all efforts to convince the caregiver at the time proved unsuccessful. The reasons for such reactions are not far-fetched. With the growing number of vaccines aimed at preventing various diseases, awareness remains inadequate in communities that lack consistent public health education. As a result, misconceptions and misinformation continue to fuel distrust.

Victoria Andrew, a caregiver and mother of three girls, shared a similar perspective: “Many people believe vaccination is a form of contraception or child spacing. Some mothers fear it will affect their children as they grow.”

She recounted the story of a neighbor with ten daughters who never allowed her girls to be vaccinated. Tragically, one of the daughters now struggles with mobility due to Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP), commonly associated with poliovirus infection. This outcome could have been prevented through proper awareness and the demystification of long-standing misconceptions.

Recognizing these challenges, eHealth Africa and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) strengthened collaboration between the health and education sectors, while deepening community engagement. These efforts proved vital to the successful intensification of the HPV vaccination campaign in Kano and Bauchi States, Nigeria.

 One strategic approach deployed by eHealth Africa is to precede the HPV intensification campaign with a strategic open co-creation and awareness session. The session provided an avenue for parents, caregivers, school teachers, community leaders, and healthcare providers to have frank conversations on the potential dangers of the HPV.

Speaking on this intervention, eHealth Africa’s project manager, Salahuddeen Sambo Ardo, said, “The session provided a unifying platform to emphasize the critical importance of vaccines in preventing diseases such as cervical cancer.”

He explained that, unlike traditional top-down sensitization approaches, the co-creation model intentionally brought together a diverse group of stakeholders including caregivers, parents, teachers, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) representatives, community gatekeepers, state health educators, HPV focal persons, and girls aged nine years, the primary target group for the vaccine.

“This inclusive structure ensured that both decision-makers and community voices were represented, fostering shared ownership of the vaccination effort,” he added.

Other stakeholder awareness activities for community ward heads, Public Health personnel training, edutainment activities in schools, and Parent Teachers Association programs duly preceded community and school vaccination outreach. 

This was a game-changer and a springboard for increased demand in HPV vaccines across the communities. For instance, Victoria’s perspective changed after attending the co-creation session on HPV vaccination. “I learned a lot, not just for myself, but for others too. As a mother, a Christian, and a Sunday school teacher, I realized that vaccines are safe and an essential first step in preventing disease.”

Hadiza Ahmed, who led these activities in Bauchi state, said the outcomes of the co-creation and edutainment activities were very encouraging. “Not only did the girls become advocates among their peers, but parents also began taking greater responsibility to ensure their daughters and other eligible girls in their communities were vaccinated”.  Hadiza, who is also leading the activities of the Emergency Operation Center in the state, said that, during the community outreach efforts, demand significantly increased as school heads have since expressed strong interest in continuing these outreaches within their communities. “In fact, vaccine supply shortages limited our ability to meet the full demand generated”, she revealed.

This was corroborated by Ahmed Rufai saying that one of the major delays experienced during the HPV intensification campaign was limited access to vaccines at some point. “For instance, in Rafin Makaranta, massive awareness and mobilization led to increased turnout for HPV vaccination; however, the available vaccine was not sufficient at the time, he said .”

The surge in HPV vaccine demand reflects growing trust, stronger partnerships, and communities taking ownership of their health. It is essential not only to sustain this momentum but to expand HPV intensification efforts to additional communities. More importantly, consistent vaccine availability must be ensured while community engagement continues. With sustained effort and strong partnerships, more girls can be protected early, and the long-term burden of cervical cancer can be significantly reduced.

– Oyindamola Fashogbon

Public health emergencies rarely fail because of a lack of intent.  They fail because systems designed for routine service delivery are suddenly pushed beyond their limits. When outbreaks occur or large-scale vaccination campaigns are rolled out under pressure, gaps in data, planning, and coordination become visible and as expected, the most vulnerable communities often feel the greatest impact.

Emergency preparedness, therefore, is not only about rapid response. It is about whether systems are already equipped to absorb shock, adapt quickly, and deliver at scale. In many African nations, emergency health responses rely on planning methods built on rough population estimates, static maps, and assumptions that no longer reflect on-the-ground realities. In densely populated, highly mobile urban environments, these limitations can translate into missed households, uneven workload distribution, and delayed corrective action.

Preparedness means moving from reactive planning to systems that allow governments and partners to see, plan, and act clearly before pressure peaks

What Public Health Emergency Preparedness Looks Like in Practice

As Lagos State implements the Measles–Rubella Vaccination Campaign for children aged 9 months to 14 years, eHealth Africa, working with UNICEF Nigeria  supported to strengthen the planning backbone that underpins emergency delivery, ensuring everyone is reached regardless of location and socioeconomic status. Through PlanFeld, eHealth Africa’s digital microplanning solution, four Local Government Areas were supported to transition from estimate-based planning to microplans built on real population data, local settlement patterns, and frontline realities. Health workers were trained not just to use a tool, but to rethink how planning decisions are made, tested, and adjusted. This approach reflects a core preparedness principle: clarity before crisis.

Rethinking Emergency Preparedness with Emergency Operations Centers

The future of public health emergency preparedness will not be defined solely by how quickly vaccines are procured or funds are released. It will be shaped by whether health systems can plan with accuracy, adapt in real time, and translate data into timely, informed decisions that empower those closest to the communities they serve. At the heart of this capability are the Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs).

Preparedness is not a moment of reaction; it is a continuous investment in systems that can anticipate risk, coordinate stakeholders, and respond with precision.

EOCs serve as the nerve centers of emergency preparedness and management, spaces where data from multiple sources converges to guide action. With 12 functional EOCs across Nigeria, there is a growing opportunity to institutionalize data-driven decision-making. Information from geospatial tracking systems, compliance monitoring, missed settlements, vaccination coverage gaps, and field-level activity reports generated by various health players and stakeholders can be consolidated, visualized, and analyzed in near real time. 

When structured effectively, this intelligence enables rapid course correction, equitable resource allocation, and stronger accountability across response efforts. EOCs transform fragmented data into operational clarity. They help leaders identify where teams are overstretched, where communities are underserved, and where additional support is required before gaps widen into crises.

Preparedness, therefore, is not only about stockpiles and surge financing. It is about building decision-ready systems that function before, during, and after emergencies. When EOCs are empowered with accurate, actionable data, responses become faster, smarter, and more inclusive, ensuring that no community is left behind.