Newscenter Media News 
There is a growing frustration and anxiety among parents over perceived developmental regression in children following routine vaccinations, raising difficult questions at the intersection of public health, parental experience, and scientific evidence.
In this report, Gift Oba takes on the challenges of the parents, medical experts’ views and the broader implications for vaccine confidence in Nigeria.
When the world speaks in a chorus, for five-year-old Samson (not real name), it’s a vast, echoing silence.
The little boy, who lives with his parents in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, knows the words for “mama” and “dada,” but the phrases are trapped behind a wall of sound he cannot pull through.
Instead of asking for his favorite toy, he stretches his hand, his brow furrows, and his cry becomes the only dictionary he owns.
The child who once sang “Halleluyah” and interacted with the world began to drift away, replaced by a boy who stares non-stop at the ceiling fan, rotating his body in a rhythmic 360-degree dance alongside its blades.
For his mother, Mrs. Iraboh (not real name) the vibrant videos of his early years are painful evidence of a “before” and an “after.” She insisted her son was fine until a single milestone: the Measles 2 vaccination.
“He was okay, until I collected the vaccine,” she claimed, recounting how her healthy son suddenly stopped responding to his name and lost his ability to repeat words.
Her story is a window into a growing, complex phenomenon where developmental regression meets parental fear.
While medical science defines delayed speech as a result of hearing loss, genetics, or underlying conditions like autism, mothers like Mrs. Irabo are conducting their own research, convinced that heavy metals and immunization records hold the key to why their children’s voices disappeared.
Delayed speech refers to a situation where a child’s speech and language development is slower than what is typically expected for their age. This can be caused by various factors, such as, hearing loss, developmental delays, environmental factors (e.g., lack of stimulation) and genetic predisposition.
Research shows that children with delayed speech may have difficulty articulating words, understanding language, or communicating effectively and can be caused by various factors, such as a temporary lag, a hearing impairment, an underlying condition like autism or an intellectual disability.
My son was fine until we collected measles 2 vaccine – Mother
The mother of two told DAILY POST that after taking the vaccine, when her child was one year and three months, she began to notice a regression in him, including his inability to communicate like children of his age do.
She recalled: “Thursday, November 12, 2020, keeps flashing in my head, I was already 42 weeks pregnant and didn’t fall into labour, on getting to the hospital, I was induced and laboured for 15 hours, before they carried out an emergency Cesarean Section” she recounts.
“Still, my child came out well and healthy. He was okay like every other child and interacted with people until I collected the measles 2 vaccine. He started gazing non-stop, we would call his name and he wouldn’t respond, he also stopped talking and couldn’t repeat words.
“He would follow anything rolling; for example, he would fix his eyes on our ceiling fan and turn 360 rotating alongside with the blade. He would not stop even when he’s about to fall until I held him.”
In a short video played by the mother, our correspondent observed that the child at the early stage made sounds and pronounced words like ‘mama’ ‘halleluyah’ before the vaccination went ‘wrong.’
“He was okay as seen from those videos, and interacting with people but after the vaccine he stopped talking and couldn’t even repeat words. So I did some research and found out that I was supposed to detox him after collecting the vaccine because it contains high metal,” she said.
Another mom, named Lisa Benjamin, popularly known as Lisa Motherhood & lifestyle on TikTok shared her experience in a post, claiming that her daughter became autistic after receiving the immunization.
In the video, she said, “What if these kids react differently to these vaccines, what if for some children it’s going to affect them and for others it doesn’t?
“My daughter used to respond to her name, she was okay and reached every milestone not until she hit 1 year and then I started noticing some differences”.
When contacted, she told DAILY POST that the early signs noticed included delayed speech, tiptoeing, stimming, non-response to her name, and differences in social interaction compared to peers.
“My child is 3 years old. The early signs I noticed included delayed speech, not responding to her name, tiptoeing, stimming and differences in social interaction compared to peers. These signs became more noticeable as she grew older,” she said.
Some parents on Lisa Benjamin’s TikTok post shared similar experiences, linking their child’s autism diagnosis to regression after vaccination.
One OluwaMayokun Hamdallah said, “She ain’t lying, my child was verbal till his 1 year vaccination and all of a sudden, he regressed and has been diagnosed with autism.”
Another user simply identified as @Oritoke said, “This happened to my son, he was already repeating words at 8months there about saying goodbye and hello at 11months before we collected measles 2 immunization. And that’s where the problem begins, he fell sick and what we noticed was regression.
“After recovery he stopped answering to his name, wasn’t talking and started tilting his neck to one side. He was even tiptoeing, these are things he wasn’t doing before.”
Similarly @Ugonma said, “Hi mama. This happened to my niece too … suddenly stopped responding to her name at 7 months but we caught it on time. At 1 yr 6months she was non verbal, and hyperactive. We had to do a lot of heavy metal detoxing and got her a specialist tutor.”
Ugonma, while explaining the detoxifying process said, “Basically what we did was half fill her bath tub with warm water. Then add epsom salt and baking soda and put her in there for about 10mins (she had her toys so she was just playing).
“We did that 2-3 times a week at night, it was one of the things that was recommended. What we don’t know is if it was what helped, but it was one of the things we did.”
Twins die 24hrs after vaccination in Lagos
Earlier this month, a 30-year-old father named Samuel Alozie, accused a primary healthcare centre in Ajanybadi area of the Ojo local government, Lagos State, of causing the death of his nine-month-old twin boys after allegedly receiving immunisation.
Alozie, who is known as Promise Samuel on TikTok, stated that he had taken his twins, Testimony and Timothy, for routine immunisation on the morning of December 24, 2025 and they died on the morning of Christmas Day, December 25.
According to him, his children became very weak immediately after the injections and despite administering paracetamol as advised by the nurse their temperature continued to rise until they gave up the ghost.
He alleged that they were administered fake, expired, or inappropriate drugs.
Alozie said, “It happened that the immunisation was conducted on the 24th of December, in the morning. And on the morning of 25th December, they died. On that 24th, after the injection, they were very weak, and I gave them paracetamol because the nurse said that if the temperature continued, I should give them paracetamol.
“I, and my wife, after we left the health centre, went home and gave the two of them paracetamol, which didn’t solve anything. My wife bathed them in cold water, they both died on the 25th at the same time.
“The worst part is that the drug weakened two of them to the extent they couldn’t talk, they couldn’t eat, they couldn’t play as usual, like they couldn’t disturb as they used to do.”
Reacting to this, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Ibrahim Mustafa, said investigations were ongoing and a post-mortem examination had been conducted to determine the actual cause of their death.
Mustafa admitted that the children were vaccinated but insisted that no evidence showed that it was the cause of their death.
“We give vaccines all the time. We’ve been giving vaccines from time immemorial. Yes, the children got vaccinated, but we don’t think that the vaccine caused their death.
“The only thing that can show what caused this thing is the post-mortem and toxicology tests were also being carried out following the allegations raised by the children’s father,” he added.
Frustration setting in – Mothers
Mrs. Irabo disclosed that having a child with delayed speech is emotionally challenging, and requires patience to avoid frustration.
According to her, her son’s way of communicating his needs, like wanting to use the toilet, can be intense -as he’d either scream loudly or break into a dance, shaking his waist.
While Mrs Benjamin stated that the toughest part is not understanding her daughter’s needs, leading to meltdowns from frustration, since she can’t express herself yet.
She said, “The most challenging part has been not always being able to fully understand my daughter because she cannot yet express herself, which sometimes leads to meltdowns born out of frustration.
“Navigating the uncertainty, especially not knowing how quickly progress will come has also been difficult, alongside dealing with societal misunderstanding.”
Sharing her coping strategy, she said, “I cope by continuously educating myself, advocating for my child and celebrating small milestones.”
Mrs Benjamin revealed that she had also become intentional about her child’s meals, creating simple routines that help her feel safe and regulated, using plays and repetition to encourage communication, and paid close attention to what triggers or soothes her.
“It’s a hands-on process that requires patience, consistency, and a lot of trial and error,” she added.
Provide affordable services, conducive schools – Parents beg govt
Some of the parents have bemoaned the cost and exhaustion of hiring speech therapists for their children, urging government at all levels to do all it can in creating a conducive school environment for children with special needs.
They also appealed to the government and the society to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and improve access to affordable early intervention services, arguing that policies supporting inclusive education, therapy funding, and caregiver support would greatly benefit families.
“Autism is not a failure of parenting, and it is not a one-size-fits-all condition.
“Autistic children are not less than; they simply experience and interact with the world differently, and with understanding, patience, appropriate support, and compassion, they can thrive. Inclusion and empathy makes a meaningful difference” Mrs Benjamin asserted.
Vaccine saves children, does not harm them – Expert
A Consultant Paediatrician/Head of Clinical Services at the Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta, Dr Adekunle Saheed Adediran, has refuted that vaccines caused harm or death in children.
He stressed that the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine (MMR) is also not responsible for causing delayed speech or autism in children, insisting that immunization prevents death and disabilities like blindness, deafness, speech disorders, paralysis among others.
Dr Adediran contended that the vaccine has contributed to a decrease in childhood morbidity and death, especially in a developing nation like Nigeria, where there are many children under five, a high prevalence of infectious diseases and inadequate medical facilities.
He said, “In my practice of over three decades, I’ve not had any reason to even remotely link these vaccines to delayed speech or autism.”
According to a 2024 survey led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and published by The Lancet, global immunization efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives over the past 50 years, which is the equivalent of 6 lives every minute of every year.
DAILY POST gathered that among the vaccines included in the study, the measles vaccination, had the most significant impact on reducing infant mortality, accounting for 60% of the lives saved due to immunization.
Dr Adediran explained that before any vaccine is introduced, they undergo rigorous testing through multiple clinical trial phases to ensure they’re safe and effective, and once they are introduced, national health authorities keep monitoring their safety, ready to detect and respond to any concerns.
‘Why child might experience delay in development’
The Consultant Pediatrician pointed out that growth in newborns is primarily fueled by the provision of nutritious calories, and its absence or shortage will have a negative impact on both physical and mental development.
He added that excessive screen exposure in infants and young children can be associated with delayed speech and language development, maintaining that while there are a number of factors, any child having delayed milestones should visit a pediatrician for thorough evaluation, stressing that they are qualified to identify the cause.
“Proper nutrition no doubt promotes optimal growth and development in children: exclusive breastfeeding from birth till 6 months of age, introduction of adequate complementary feeding from 6 months and continued breastfeeding for 2 years and beyond.
“Excessive screen exposure in infants and young children can be associated with delayed speech and language development. This has been confirmed by studies in toddlers.
“Children learn best from real life interaction with adults and passive screen use does not provide this. Exposure to screen should be limited in young children and accompanied by an adult who actively engages the child explaining and discussing with the child while prompting constructive interaction,” he opined.
Meanwhile, Dr Adediran recommended the incorporation of immunization education into routine hospital health talks, especially during antenatal care for pregnant women, opining that this would provide opportunities for them to ask questions, address concerns transparently and urged the media to help spread accurate vaccine information to counter misinformation.
Vaccination gone wrong: Nigerian parents share worry, frustration