Situational Analysis of National Immunization Programme in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria immunisation program targeting previously "first responders" among medical and emergency workers. In order to identify the potential strengths and weaknesses of this program and the conditions under which critical decisions were reached, we conducted a SWOT analysis of the current National Immunisation Program, designed to identify its intrinsic strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities for its success and threats against it. SWOT analysis ± a practical tool for the study of public health policy decisions and the social and political contexts in which they are reached revealed clear and substantial strengths and weaknesses of the current National immunisation program, intrinsic to the vaccine itself. A number of threats were identified that may jeopardize the success of the current program, chief among them is the appearance of severe complication of vaccination. Our finding of a lack of a generation of knowledge on immunisation highlights the need for improved physician education and dissipation of misconceptions that are prevalent in the public today.

Keywords: SWOT; Immunisation Program; Public Health Policy; Misconception; Nigeria