Kwara State's Penta-3 Vaccine Coverage Reaches 50.4%

The coverage of the pentavalent vaccine (Penta 3) for children in Kwara State increased from 34.9% in 2024 to 50.4% in 2025-2026, according to Prof. Nusirat Elelu, the Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Healthcare Development Agency. This information was disclosed in a statement on October 28, 2026, based on a recent survey report from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Elelu noted that the percentage of children aged 12 to 23 months who had received no vaccines decreased from 48.1% to 27.3%. The pentavalent vaccine protects against five serious diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.

The survey also indicated improvements in nutrition, with stunting declining from 40.8% to 35.5%, wasting from 6.1% to 3.5%, and underweight prevalence from 24.5% to 14.8%. Elelu attributed these successes to the state government's investments in primary healthcare and urged parents to continue utilizing immunization services.