INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The rate of child mortality in Nigeria has increased overtime; immunization practices in Nigeria has significant effect on nursing mothers; this could be as a result of either positive or negative attitude of nursing mothers towards immunization (USAID, 2007).

Child mortality is a challenge in many developing nations. The six child killer diseases identified by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) are tuberculosis, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles. Yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria led to its inclusion in the latest immunization regime. 

Immunization coverage against hepatitis B has been increasing since 1990s. More than 160 countries now include hepatitis B in their immunization schedules. These diseases combined with malnutrition, kill an estimated 400-450 Nigerian children per day (Writer, 2008). 

As many as four to five times this number of children is handicapped for life by blindness, deafness, lameness and mental retardation Immunization is an inexpensive and increasingly easy to administer strategy which when combined with improved nutrition and sanitation saves children (Lavanchy, 2004). 

In most developed nations, immunization programmes have had dramatic success in reducing morbidity and mortality rate significantly. Such programmes have helped in the eradication of diphtheria, measles, neonatal tetanus, pertusis and poliomyelitis since 1993 4 (WHO, 2015). 

Immunization has saved over 20 million lives in the last two decades. More than 100 million infants are immunized each year. This saves more than 3 million lives annually. Global mortality attributed to measles decline by 78% from an estimated 733,000 deaths in 2000 to 161,260 deaths in 2008. The prevalence of polio had decline dramatically since 1990. The number of polio cases world wide as of 2009 was 1606 and as of May 2010 it was 115 5. Immunization is defined as the creation of immunity against a particular disease. It could be the treatment of an organ and/ or making a body immune to subsequent attack by particular pathogens through giving of vaccine. These vaccines protect nursing mothers at risks of acquiring infection by inducing a variety of immune mechanisms. Immunity so acquired can be active or passive. 

The economic burden of control of disease in the developing countries by treatment, especially among the vulnerable group such as infant, nursing mothers, is enormous and immunization has been recommended as a cost effective measure for interventions in preventive healthcare. Immunization activities started in Nigeria in 1956 prior to the small pox eradication campaign WHO (2015). The study in this regard wishes to examine the knowledge attitude of nursing mothers towards immunization in Nigeria using ajegunle health center Ikorodu, Lagos State.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

The impact of immunization on the reduction of childhood morbidity and mortality and the well being of nursing mothers in Nigeria has been remarkable, however, it is yet to reach its full potential despite the objectives of WHO and all efforts by the government as well as health workers in the promotion of National programme on Immunization (NPI) (Abbas et al., 2005). Some communities in Nigeria are still ignorant of the importance, benefit and effectiveness of immunization. It is against this backdrop that this research work accessed the knowledge attitude of nursing mothers towards immunizations in Nigeria

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The main aim of the research work is to examine the knowledge attitude of nursing mothers towards immunization. Other specific objectives of the study include:

1. to determine the importance of immunization on the well being of nursing mothers in ajegunle health center Ikorodu, Lagos State

2. to examine the relationship between immunization and the level of immunity of the nursing mothers ajegunle health center 

3. to examine the role of immunization in curbing minor diseases among nursing mothers

4. to investigate on the factors affecting effective immunization processes in Nigeria 

5. to examine the effect of nursing mother knowledge and exposure on the attitude towards immunization

6. to proffer solution to the above stated problems