ATTITUDE AND KNOWLEDGE OF NURSING MOTHERS TOWARDS IMMUNIZATION (A CASE STUDY OF AJEGUNLE HEALTH, IKORODU, LAGOS STATE)

BACKGROUND OF STUDY: The rate of child mortality in Nigeria has increased over time; immunisation practises in Nigeria have a substantial impact on nursing moms; this may be due to a positive or negative attitude of nursing mothers toward immunisation (USAID, 2022). Child mortality is a problem in numerous developing countries. The World Health Organization identifies tuberculosis, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, and measles as the six diseases that kill children. An epidemic of yellow fever in Nigeria prompted its inclusion in the most recent vaccination programme.

Vaccination rates against hepatitis B have increased during the 1990s. Over 160 nations currently include hepatitis B in their vaccine schedules. Together, these diseases and hunger kill an estimated 400-450 Nigerian children daily (Writer, 2022).

Four to five times as many children are permanently disabled by blindness, deafness, lameness, and mental retardation. Immunization is a low-cost and increasingly simple-to-administer method that, when coupled with improved nutrition and sanitation, saves the lives of children (Lavanchy, 2022).

In the majority of affluent nations, immunisation initiatives have been remarkably effective in reducing death and morbidity rates. Since 1993, these programmes have contributed to the eradication of diphtheria, measles, neonatal tetanus, pertussis, and poliomyelitis (WHO, 2015).

Over 20 million lives have been saved by immunisation in the previous two decades. Each year, more than 100 million infants get inoculated. This annually saves more than three million lives. From an estimated 733,000 deaths in 2000 to 161,260 deaths in 2008, global mortality attributable to measles falls by 78%. Since 1990, the incidence of polio has decreased considerably. As of 2009, there were 1606 polio cases worldwide, and as of May 2010, there were 115 5. Immunization is the development of immunity against a specific disease. It may involve the therapy of an organ and/or immunising the body against future attack by certain pathogens through vaccination. These vaccinations protect breastfeeding moms at risk of illness by stimulating many immune systems. The acquired immunity can be active or passive (Erinoso, 2022).

Vaccination has been proposed as a cost-effective method for interventions in preventative healthcare as the economic burden of disease control in poor countries, particularly among vulnerable groups such as infants and nursing mothers, is substantial. Prior to the WHO mission to eradicate smallpox, immunisation activities began in Nigeria in 1956. (2015). This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes of nursing mothers in Nigeria on immunisation at the Ajegunle Health Center in Ikorodu, Lagos State.