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Vaccinations

Vaccinations

A vaccination is a preventative measure that makes the body stronger against a particular infection. The body fights infections using the immune system, which is made up of billions of cells. Vaccines can protect us from serious and sometimes deadly diseases. Diseases such as Polio (which causes paralysis), Hepatitis B (which can cause liver cancer) and HPV infection (which can cause cervical cancer) can be prevented by administering a vaccine.

How does a vaccine work?

The vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.

Vaccines are administered at specific times during a child’s life, while some vaccines for adults can be administered when required.

Children’s Vaccine Guide

When to administer the vaccine
Vaccines to be administered
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At birth
  • OPV
  • BCG
  • Hepatitis B
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6 Weeks
  • OPV1
  • Pentavalent
  • Pneumococcal
  • Rotavirus
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10 Weeks
  • OPV2
  • Pentavalent
  • Pneumococcal
  • Rotavirus
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14 Weeks
  • OPV3
  • Pentavalent
  • Pneumococcal
  • Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)
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6 Months
  • Vitamin A (every 6 months till 5 years of age)
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9 Months
  • Measles
  • Yellow Fever
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12 Months
  • OPV4
  • Pentavalent
  • Pneumococcal
  • Meningitis
  • Chicken Pox
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15 Months
  • MMR
  • Chicken Pox
  • Pneumococcal Booster
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9 Years and above
  • HPV
    9 -14 years old (0 & 6 months)
    15 years and above (3 dose series- 0,1,6 months)
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Adults’ Vaccine Guide

Vaccine
Recommended For
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Chicken Pox
Adults who have not been immunised as children (2 shots – 0, 1 month)
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Hepatitis A&B
All adults, healthcare workers, food handlers, day care workers
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Hepatitis B
All adults, healthcare workers, Food handlers, Day care workers (3 shots – 0, 1, 6 months)
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HPV
Adults
(3 shots – 0, 1, 6 months)
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Meningococcal ACWY
Adults in endemic areas
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MMR
Adults
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Pneumococcal
All adults
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Tetanus Toxoid
Healthcare workers, farmers, veterinary services (3 shots – 0, 1, 6 months)
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Typhoid Fever
Food handlers, day care workers
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Yellow Fever
Adults living in or travelling to an endemic area
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Talk to our Family Medical Centre about the vaccinations that are most relevant for you and your family. Call us on +234 906 835 0060 or +234 816 231 1358.

Vaccines

We offer vaccines for the following:

Chickenpox, also called varicella is a highly contagious viral infection causing an itchy, blister-like skin rash all over the body. Treatment usually involves relieving symptoms, although high-risk groups may receive antiviral medication.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Children 12 months and older
It protects against:
  • Chicken pox
Special notes

Two doses of the vaccine are about 90% effective at preventing chickenpox.

The second dose is usually administered between the age of 4 and 6. If it is administered earlier than age 4, the time between the two doses should be no less than three months (According to CDC2016.09 directives)

Hepatitis A is a common disease and affects people between the age of 3 and 40 more. It spreads from contaminated food or water, or contact with someone who is infected.

Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite and low-grade fever. A blood test is required to diagnose the condition and is treatable by a medical professional. Hepatitis A is preventable by vaccine.

Our medical centre offers a combination vaccine for adults for both Hepatitis A & B.

Hepatitis A & B
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Adults over 16 years of age
It protects against:
  • Hepatitis A and B
Special notes

This vaccine is administered in 3 doses. The second dose is administered 1 month after the first dosage and the third is administered 6 months after the second does.

A combination vaccine for children between the age of 1 and 18 is also available.

Hepatitis B is a very common disease in Nigeria and affects people of all ages. It is most commonly spread by exposure to infected bodily fluids such as blood or sexual contact.

Symptoms are variable and include yellowing of the eyes, abdominal pain and dark urine. Some people, particularly children, don't experience any symptoms. In chronic cases, medication is required and more severe cases can lead to liver failure, cancer or scarring.

A blood test is required to diagnose the condition. Hepatitis B is a chronic infection and no known cure exists. It is managed by a medical specialist to prevent complications.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Infants below the age of 6 months.
  • Children and adolescents younger than 19 who have not been vaccinated before.
  • Unvaccinated adults who are at risk of contracting the Hepatitis B virus infection.
It protects against:
  • Hepatitis B
Special notes

This vaccine is administered in 3 doses. The second dose is administered 1 month after the first dosage and the third is administered 6 months after the second dose.

In children, it is administered as part of the pentavalent vaccine. Adults can opt to either have the vaccine separately or in combination with Hepatitis A vaccine.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name for a group of highly contagious viruses that affect your skin and the moist membranes lining your body like the cervix, anus, mouth and throat and is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI).

There are more than 100 types of HPV and around 30 types of HPV infection can affect the genital area. HPV is spread during sexual intercourse and skin-to-skin contact. Infection with some types of genital HPV can cause genital warts or abnormal tissue growth and other changes to cells within the cervix which can lead to cervical cancer.

Many people with HPV don't develop any symptoms but can still infect others through sexual contact. There's no cure for the virus. Treatment focuses on relieving the symptoms. A vaccine that prevents the HPV strains most likely to cause cervical cancer is recommended for females.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Girls and boys between the age of 9 and 14.
  • Women who have not been vaccinated. Regular Pap smear (Liquid Based Cytology) still required for proper protection.
It protects against:
  • Cervical cancer
Special notes
  • Preteens <15 years of age at the time of first dose: a 2 dose schedule (0 and 6 months) is recommended.
  • Females >15 years of age at the time of first dose: a 3 dose schedule (0, 2 and 6 months) is recommended.
Read more about HPV vaccine here.
Measles is a viral infection that is serious for small children between the age of 0 - 5, but is easily preventable by a vaccine.

The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing. Measles symptoms don't appear until 10 to 14 days after exposure. Symptoms include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash.

Measles is most commonly diagnosed during a clinical visit with a doctor.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Babies at 9 months
It protects against:
  • Measles
Special notes

Measles is also available as combination vaccine in MMR. This combination can only be taken from 1 year of age.

Meningitis is the inflammation of brain and spinal cord membranes, typically caused by a viral infection but it can also be bacterial or fungal.

The swelling from meningitis typically triggers symptoms such as headache, fever and a stiff neck. Depending on the cause, meningitis may get better on its own or it can be life-threatening, requiring urgent antibiotic treatment.

Meningococcal vaccine is an active immunising agent used to prevent infection by certain groups of meningococcal bacteria.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Infants between the age of 12 and 24 months of age
  • Unvaccinated adolescents and adults
It protects against:
  • Meningitis (A, C, W, Y)
Special notes

Children, adolescents and adults receive one dose.

Read more about meningococcal virus here.
The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles).

Measles causes fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Complications can include ear infection, diarrhoea, pneumonia, brain damage, and death.

Mumps causes fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite, and swollen salivary glands. Complications can include swelling of the testicles or ovaries, deafness, inflammation of the brain and/or tissue covering the brain and spinal cord (encephalitis/meningitis) and, rarely, death.

Rubella, causes fever, sore throat, rash, headache, and red, itchy eyes. If a woman gets rubella while she is pregnant, she could have a miscarriage or her baby could be born with serious birth defects.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Children between the age of 12 and 15 months of age, followed by a second dose between the age of 4 and 6 years of age.
  • Adults who do not have evidence of immunity should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.
  • Women of childbearing age who do not have evidence of immunity should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.
It protects against:
  • Measles, mumps and rubella
Special notes

Women of childbearing age should check with their doctor to make sure they are vaccinated before they get pregnant.

A five-in-one combination vaccine administered with a single shot. Pentavalent vaccine protects against five major infections: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), Hepatitis B and haemophilus Influenza Type B (Hib), a bacterium that causes meningitis, pneumonia and otitis.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Babies at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age
It protects against:
  • Diphtheria
  • Tetanus
  • Whooping cough
  • Hepatitis B
  • Haemophilus Influenza Type B
The pneumococcal vaccine helps protect against the 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria that most commonly cause serious infections in children and adults. It can also help prevent ear infections and pneumonia caused by those 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria.

Pneumonia is a very common infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus (purulent material), causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing. A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, can cause pneumonia.

Pneumonia can range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening. It is most serious for infants and young children, people older than age 65, and people with health problems or weakened immune systems.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Children < 2 years old
  • Adults > 65 years old
  • Individuals aged 2 -64 years old with certain conditions
It protects against:
  • Pneumococcal infection
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system and could be a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease. The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body).

The polio vaccine protects children by preparing their bodies to fight the polio virus. Almost all children (99 children out of 100) who get all the recommended doses of vaccine will be protected from polio.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Babies at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age.
  • In addition, IPV (Inactivated Polio Vaccine) is administered at 14 weeks.
It protects against:
  • Polio
Rotavirus is an infection that causes diarrhoea and it's the most common cause of diarrhoea in infants and children worldwide.

Although rotavirus infections are unpleasant, they can usually be treated at home with extra fluids to prevent dehydration. Occasionally, severe dehydration requires intravenous fluids in the hospital. Dehydration is a serious complication of rotavirus and a major cause of childhood deaths in developing countries.

Initial symptoms are a fever and vomiting, followed by three to seven days of watery diarrhoea. The infection can cause abdominal pain as well. In adults who are otherwise healthy, a rotavirus infection may cause only mild signs and symptoms or none at all.

Vaccination can help prevent rotavirus infection in your child.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Babies at 6 and 10 weeks of age
It protects against:
  • Rotavirus infections
Tetanus is a serious bacterial disease that affects the nervous system, leading to painful muscle contractions, particularly of the jaw and neck muscles. Tetanus can interfere with your ability to breathe and can threaten your life. Signs and symptoms of tetanus appear anytime from a few days to several weeks after tetanus bacteria enter your body through a wound.

Common symptoms of tetanus include spasms and stiffness in the jaw muscles (trismus), stiffness of your neck muscles, difficulty swallowing, stiffness of the abdominal muscles and painful body spasms lasting for several minutes, typically triggered by minor occurrences, such as a draft, loud noise, physical touch or light.

There's no cure for tetanus. Treatment focuses on managing complications until the effects of the tetanus toxin resolve.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Women of childbearing age
  • Adults whose tetanus shots are not up to date
It protects against:
  • Tetanus
Special notes

Included in pentavalent vaccine for babies.
Five doses are recommended with booster doses every 10 years.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially serious infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread from one person to another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes.

Signs and symptoms of active TB include coughing that lasts three or more weeks, coughing up blood, chest pain, or pain with breathing or coughing, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, fever, chills and a loss of appetite.

Tuberculosis can also affect other parts of the body, including the kidneys, spine or brain. When TB occurs outside of the lungs, signs and symptoms vary according to the organs involved. For example, tuberculosis of the spine may give back pain, and tuberculosis in the kidneys might cause blood in your urine.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Babies at birth to children of 16 years of age
It protects against:
  • Tuberculosis (TB)
Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The "yellow" in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients.

Once contracted, the yellow fever virus incubates in the body for 3 to 6 days. Many people do not experience symptoms, but when these do occur, the most common are fever, muscle pain with prominent backache, headache, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting.

Some patients, however, enter a second, more toxic phase within 24 hours of recovering from initial symptoms. High fever returns and several body systems are affected, usually the liver and the kidneys. In this phase people are likely to develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes, hence the name ‘yellow fever’), dark urine and abdominal pain with vomiting. Bleeding can occur from the mouth, nose, eyes or stomach. Half of the patients who enter the toxic phase die within 7 - 10 days.
Who should get vaccinated:
  • Babies at 9 months
  • Travellers going to endemic countries
It protects against:
  • Yellow fever

Talk to our Family Medical Centre about the vaccinations that are most relevant for you and your family. Call us on +234 810 664 8871

Please note that certain vaccines will need to be pre-booked before the day of administration

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