The Federal Government is targeting 32 million in a fresh immunisation exercise against polio which commences tomorrow (Saturday October 17 2015), according to the Executive Director of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Muhammad.
The 11 polio vulnerable states, the NPHCDA said, are Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto Yobe and Zamfara.
Muhammad who made the announcement at a press briefing on Friday in Abuja called on the media to assist in enlightening the public on the dangers of not immunising children.
He said:”As you are aware, the World Health Organization (WHO), through its Director General, Dr. Margaret Chan announced Nigeria’s delisting as a polio endemic country on Friday 25th September 2015 in New York, during the 70th United Nations General Assembly. That was indeed a historic day for Nigeria. A formal declaration of this historic feat is to be done in Nigeria on Monday 26th October 2015 by WHO team to be led by the Director General, WHO before the country’s leadership.
“It is pertinent to reiterate the fact that this is a great feat for our dear country as it has taken us 17 years to get to achieve it. It is the result of sustained and steady progress in the polio eradication programme since 2013, when the number of cases of polio dropped from 122 in 2012 to 53 in 2013. The progress continued and by the end of 2014, only six cases of WPV were reported. Since 24 July 2014, there has been no reported case of WPV in any part of Nigeria. However, this interruption of indigenous WPV transmission for over a year is only a major milestone to polio eradication, which is our end point.
“As we bask in the euphoria of this great achievement it is important to know that we are not polio free yet. We need to sustain and even improve on the progress we have made so far to achieve polio eradication by 2017.
“I want to once again use this opportunity to say CONGRATULATIONS to all Nigerians as it is a collective victory. Our special appreciation goes to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, former Ministers of Health, former chief Executive Officers of NPHCDA and the defunct NPI (National Programme on Immunization) State and Local Governments, Traditional and Religious Leaders; the Nigerian Press, Development Partners donors, all other stakeholders and indeed the staff of NPHCDA for the untiring efforts, dedication and sacrifices which has made this feat possible.”