Polio Is No Longer Endemic in Nigeria!

Immunization and surveillance activities must continue to rapidly detect a potential re-introduction or re-emergence of the virus, the agency said, explaining that only after three years have passed without a case of wild poliovirus on the African continent will an official “certification” of polio eradication be conducted at the regional level in Africa.

Polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria, the World Health Organization said late Friday, leaving only Pakistan and its war-battered neighbor Afghanistan in the list of countries where the disease is prevalent. Children under-five are particularly vulnerable.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the public-private partnership that is leading the effort to eradicate polio, called the development a “historic achievement”. This is a vast improvement from 2012, when it was reported that the country accounted for over 50 percent of polio cases across the globe.

Nigeria has had to battle major security issues to vaccinate children in areas of the remote northeast hit by Boko Haram’s bloody six-year Islamist insurgency. After this unfortunate occurrence, the federal government and other worldwide and local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) further intensified their efforts towards eradicating polio, especially in the Northern states.

Dr. Chan, who is also a member of GPEI, canvassed support for Pakistan and Afghanistan in their efforts to join the polio free world.

“Eradicating polio will be one of the greatest achievements in human history, and have a positive impact on global health for generations to come”, the WHO said.

The centres were adapted past year during the Ebola crisis, allowing the authorities to successfully prevent a devastating spread of the virus.

Their continued support, along with continued domestic funding from Nigeria, will be essential to keep Nigeria and the entire region polio-free. Earlier this month it said a baby brought to Mali from Guinea was found to have the virus derived from the oral polio vaccine (OPV).

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious disease transmitted person to person, often through fecal matter and contaminated water.

Nigeria, like the rest of the world, is switching from the oral polio vaccine, given in two drops into the mouth, to an injectable, inactivated form of polio vaccine (IPV).