By Simpson Global Media News Desk
Date: Thursday, 29 October 2026
Time: The survey findings were reported publicly on Wednesday, 28 October 2026; the exact time of the original announcement was not confirmed.
Location: Kwara State, Nigeria. The findings concern children across the state and were disclosed by the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency in Ilorin.
Survey period: 2025–2026, with comparisons against 2024 figures.
Reporting date: 29 October 2026.
New Survey Shows Improvement in Vaccination and Child Nutrition
Kwara State has recorded improvements in childhood vaccination coverage and several indicators of malnutrition, according to findings from the 2025–2026 Nigeria Mini-Demographic and Health Survey released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The proportion of children aged 12 to 23 months who received the third dose of the pentavalent vaccine rose from 34.9 per cent in 2024 to 50.4 per cent in the latest survey. Meanwhile, the proportion of children in that age group who had received no vaccines fell from 48.1 per cent to 27.3 per cent.
The figures were disclosed on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, by Professor Nusirat Elelu, Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, in a statement reported by Nigerian media.
The survey also recorded reductions in three measures of malnutrition among children under five. Stunting declined from 40.8 per cent to 35.5 per cent, wasting fell from 6.1 per cent to 3.5 per cent, and the prevalence of underweight children dropped from 24.5 per cent to 14.8 per cent.
The figures indicate progress in the state's child health indicators. However, they also show that substantial challenges remain: more than one in four children aged 12 to 23 months in the reported survey group had received no vaccines, while more than one in three children under five were affected by stunting.
Elelu attributed the reported improvements to investments in primary healthcare, nutrition-related interventions and the state's Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week programme. She urged parents and caregivers to continue using routine immunisation services and to ensure that children's growth is monitored regularly.
The findings were reported by Premium Times and Punch on 28 October 2026. <Cite refs={["turn798938search0","turn798938search1"]}/>
What the Vaccination Figures Mean
The pentavalent vaccine is part of routine childhood immunisation. It protects against five serious diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b.
The vaccine is administered in a series of doses during early infancy. In Nigeria's routine schedule, the doses are generally given at six, 10 and 14 weeks of age.
Completing the series is important because the doses work together to establish protection. Receiving an initial dose does not mean a child has completed the recommended course.
The third-dose indicator, commonly called Penta-3 coverage, is therefore used to assess whether children are progressing through an important part of the routine vaccination schedule.
The rise from 34.9 per cent to 50.4 per cent represents an increase of 15.5 percentage points. It suggests that a greater proportion of children in the survey's relevant age group had received the third dose in the newer survey period.
But coverage at 50.4 per cent also indicates that roughly half of the children in the measured group had not been recorded as having received that dose. The figure should not be interpreted as a precise count of individual children without the survey's underlying population estimates and methodology.
The result points to the importance of sustaining vaccination services, following up with families whose children have missed doses and making services accessible to communities facing geographical, financial or informational barriers.
Fewer Children Reported as Having Received No Vaccines
One of the other important findings was the decline in the proportion of children aged 12 to 23 months who had received no vaccines, from 48.1 per cent to 27.3 per cent.
Children in this category are often described as “zero-dose” children. The term generally refers to children who have not received any routine vaccine, although specific programme definitions may vary according to the indicator being measured.
Reducing the number of zero-dose children is a major public health priority because these children may be particularly vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.
They may live in communities where health facilities are difficult to reach, where routine services are interrupted or where caregivers have limited access to information. In other cases, missed vaccinations can result from frequent movement, competing household responsibilities, unavailable vaccines or a lack of awareness about the recommended schedule.
The decline reported in Kwara is encouraging, but the remaining 27.3 per cent indicates that efforts to reach children who have not entered the routine immunisation system must continue.
Health authorities can use outreach services, community engagement and follow-up systems to identify children who have missed vaccinations. Working with traditional and community leaders may also help health workers communicate with families and address concerns about immunisation.
The figures do not establish which factors accounted for the change in Kwara. Further analysis would be required to determine how much of the improvement was associated with service expansion, community mobilisation, better vaccine availability or other influences.
Nutrition Indicators Also Improve
The survey recorded progress in three indicators of child nutrition: stunting, wasting and underweight prevalence.
These measures describe different aspects of nutritional status and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Stunting
Stunting occurs when a child is too short for their age. It is generally associated with chronic or recurrent undernutrition and can reflect a combination of inadequate diets, repeated illness, poor sanitation and other conditions affecting growth over time.
In Kwara, the reported prevalence fell from 40.8 per cent to 35.5 per cent.
Although this represents a reduction of 5.3 percentage points, the latest figure means that stunting remains a significant challenge among children under five in the survey population.
Long-term improvements require more than food availability alone. Maternal health, infant feeding practices, access to safe water, sanitation, treatment of infections and household food security can all influence children's growth.
Wasting
Wasting refers to low weight relative to a child's height and can indicate acute undernutrition. It may develop when children do not receive adequate nutrition or when illness increases nutritional needs or reduces the body's ability to absorb nutrients.
The reported wasting prevalence in Kwara declined from 6.1 per cent to 3.5 per cent, a reduction of 2.6 percentage points.
Wasting requires attention because severe acute malnutrition can place children at increased risk of serious illness and death. Early identification, assessment and appropriate treatment are important for children who are affected.
Underweight
Underweight describes children whose weight is low for their age. It can reflect chronic undernutrition, acute undernutrition or a combination of both.
The reported prevalence in Kwara dropped from 24.5 per cent to 14.8 per cent, a reduction of 9.7 percentage points.
The decline is notable, but continued monitoring is needed to understand whether the improvement is sustained and whether all communities and socioeconomic groups are benefiting equally.
The three indicators together provide a broader picture of child nutrition. The reductions are encouraging, but the remaining prevalence figures show that nutrition services and wider support for families remain necessary. <Cite refs={["turn798938search1","turn798938search9"]}/>
Primary Healthcare Investment and Community Outreach
Elelu attributed the progress to state government investments in primary healthcare and nutrition-sensitive interventions, including the biannual Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week.
Such programmes can provide opportunities to deliver multiple essential services through health facilities and community outreach. Depending on the programme, these services may include routine vaccination, nutrition education, growth monitoring and information for pregnant women and caregivers.
Primary healthcare facilities are often the first point of contact between families and the health system. Their ability to provide reliable services can influence whether children receive vaccinations on time and whether nutritional problems are identified early.
However, the effectiveness of these programmes depends on practical factors such as staffing, vaccine availability, transport, equipment, community trust and the capacity to follow up with families.
Outreach services can be especially important for households that live far from facilities or have difficulty making repeated visits. Community mobilisation can also help caregivers understand the vaccination schedule and the importance of completing all recommended doses.
The reported survey results are consistent with an improvement in the measured indicators, but the figures alone do not prove that a particular intervention caused the changes. Establishing the contribution of individual programmes would require a more detailed assessment of implementation and other factors that may have influenced the results.
Why the Remaining Gaps Matter
Despite the improvement in vaccination coverage, 27.3 per cent of children aged 12 to 23 months in the reported survey group had received no vaccines.
That remaining proportion highlights the importance of ensuring that progress reaches children who are hardest to reach, rather than concentrating only on communities where services are already more accessible.
Families may miss vaccinations because they have moved, lost an immunisation card, misunderstood appointment dates or encountered unavailable services. Some may have questions about vaccine safety or may not know where to obtain routine immunisation.
Health facilities can help by explaining the recommended schedule, checking children's vaccination records during visits and advising caregivers about how to catch up on missed doses.
Parents should consult qualified health workers about a child's vaccination history rather than assume that missed appointments mean vaccination can no longer be completed. Health workers can assess the child's age and previous doses and provide guidance consistent with national recommendations.
The remaining stunting prevalence of 35.5 per cent also demonstrates the scale of the nutrition challenge. Reducing stunting requires sustained efforts to improve diets, maternal and infant health, sanitation and access to appropriate healthcare.
For children who are already experiencing growth problems, early assessment can help identify nutritional deficiencies, illness or other factors that require attention.
The Importance of Survey Evidence
The 2025–2026 Nigeria Mini-Demographic and Health Survey provides a basis for comparing selected health indicators over time.
Household surveys can help public authorities identify patterns in vaccination, nutrition and other health outcomes that may not be fully captured by facility records alone.
However, survey estimates are not the same as administrative counts of every child in a state. They are based on the survey's sampling design, the populations measured and the definitions used for each indicator.
The comparison between 2024 and 2025–2026 is therefore best understood as a comparison of reported survey estimates. The available news reports do not provide all the underlying technical details needed to assess sampling uncertainty or determine how the results vary across individual local government areas.
Further disaggregated data would be useful in identifying which communities have made the greatest progress and where gaps remain most severe.
It would also help health authorities assess whether improvements are shared by children from rural and urban households and by families facing different economic circumstances.
What Parents and Caregivers Can Do
The Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency has urged parents and caregivers to take children to the nearest primary healthcare centre for routine immunisation.
Caregivers can support children's health by:
Keeping vaccination records: Retain the child's immunisation card and bring it to clinic visits.
Following the recommended schedule: Ask a qualified health worker when each dose is due.
Seeking advice after missed appointments: A health worker can review previous doses and explain the appropriate next steps.
Using available outreach services: Community vaccination sessions may help families who have difficulty reaching a fixed facility.
Monitoring growth: Attend recommended growth-monitoring visits and seek professional assessment if a child is not growing as expected.
Seeking help early: Consult a healthcare professional if a child has persistent feeding difficulties, illness or concerns about growth.
Routine vaccination and nutrition services are complementary parts of child healthcare. Vaccines help prevent particular infectious diseases, while appropriate feeding, sanitation and clinical care support healthy growth and development.
Parents should obtain medical advice from qualified health professionals and follow the recommendations of local health authorities.
What Happens Next?
The Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency says it will continue strengthening routine and outreach immunisation, community mobilisation, nutrition services and growth monitoring.
The next challenge is to build on the gains reflected in the survey while addressing the number of children who remain unvaccinated and the continuing prevalence of stunting.
Progress will depend on maintaining reliable primary healthcare services, reaching families who have missed vaccinations and ensuring that nutrition interventions reach children who need them.
Regular monitoring will also be important. Future survey results and administrative data can help determine whether the improvements continue and whether gaps between communities narrow.
The reported figures offer encouraging signs for Kwara's child health programmes. They also make clear that further work is needed to ensure that more children receive recommended vaccines and have access to the nutrition and healthcare support required for healthy development.
For families, the immediate message from health officials is straightforward: keep children's vaccination records up to date, attend routine immunisation appointments and seek professional advice about growth and nutrition concerns.
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