Nigeria remains one of the highest exports of medical tourism around the world. From the most complicated medical conditions to less complex ailments, the craze for medical intervention abroad has been on the rise.
A Vigil360 assessment of the situation indicates that the country losses over 1 billion Naira annually to medical tourism mostly to India, China, United Kingdom, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, United Arab Emirate, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa.
However, a CNN report shows that more than half of international travelers are not getting vaccinated against diseases such as measles, cholera, yellow fever which are common outbreaks and occurrence in destination countries. Therefore, those travelers are at risk of being infected with these diseases while abroad.
Pre-travel vaccinations are important because diseases that are not found in Nigeria, may be a risk in other countries. These diseases can be severe or even fatal. Even diseases that do occur in Nigeria such as measles or hepatitis A, are often more common in other countries.
For instance, several countries in Europe are currently experiencing measles outbreaks, which emphasizes how important it is for travelers to be up-to-date on routine vaccines as well as get travel-related vaccines. Particularly, in Western Europe, measles virus causes death in at least one in 5,000 cases, while as many as one in 100 die from measles in parts of Africa, Asia and other poor regions of the world.
Yet, every year, immunization prevents between 2 million and 3 million deaths around the world in all age groups from diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and measles, according to the World Health Organization. Measles vaccination resulted in a 79% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2015 worldwide, the agency said.
Though vaccination exercises in Nigeria have improved tremendously, concerted attention is yet to be given to international travelers. Most Nigerians approach vaccination as meeting a perquisite for visa issuance, instead of a precautionary measure.
The government is yet to set up a robust travelers' clinic at the various airports and seaports. This is necessary so as to ensure that Nigerians travelling out of the country get the required vaccines and knowledge to safeguard against risk of exposure to diseases in destination countries.
Government should also intensify public sensitization and education with a view to stimulating interests amongst Nigerians. Traveling citizens should also seek to educate themselves and get the required immunization before traveling abroad.
