The proportion of children who received the third dose of the pentavalent vaccine (Penta 3) in Kwara State has increased from 34.9 percent in 2024 to 50.4 percent across the 2025-2026 period.

The Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Nusirat Elelu, disclosed the figures in an official statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

Ms Elelu explained that the statistical updates were detailed in a recent survey report released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, describing the findings as encouraging indicators of advancing child health metrics across the state.

She added that the proportion of children aged 12 to 23 months who had received no vaccines declined from 48.1 percent to 27.3 percent within the period under review, reflecting substantial progress in extending life-saving immunisation services to underserved children.

The agency head noted that the pentavalent vaccine, administered to infants at six, 10, and 14 weeks of age, provides protection against five serious illnesses, including diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.

"This improvement in our pentavalent vaccine coverage underscores the Kwara government's effort at improving child health. It further reaffirms the importance of routine immunisation in protecting children and promoting healthy development," she stated.

Citing the federal survey, Ms Elelu highlighted additional health indicators showing that child stunting declined from 40.8 percent to 35.5 percent, wasting decreased from 6.1 percent to 3.5 percent, while underweight prevalence dropped from 24.5 percent to 14.8 percent.

She described these health outcomes as significant strides in state-wide efforts to foster child survival, healthy growth, and overall well-being.

"This is one of the greatest improvements in our nutrition indices recorded in Kwara in recent years," she remarked.

She attributed the health gains to the state government's sustained funding of primary healthcare infrastructure, particularly through support for nutrition-focused initiatives and the bi-annual Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Week.

Ms Elelu reiterated the agency's resolve to fortify primary healthcare delivery through continuous routine and outreach immunisation, community engagement, nutrition programs, and child growth monitoring.

She urged parents and caregivers to preserve the recorded gains by presenting their children at nearby primary healthcare facilities for free routine immunisation.

Furthermore, she advised guardians to keep vaccination cards current, engage with local community health outreach schemes, and regularly monitor their children's physical development.