Nigeria reports first 2 cases of polio in years, WHO says

The first will target children in Borno state; the rest, not yet scheduled, will attempt to reach children across northeastern Nigeria and in neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger. The cases are the first reports of their kind since 2014.

Just when Africa thought it had gone two years without a case of wild polio virus, the debilitating disease reared its head again. But a concerted campaign of immunisation meant that the country was able last month to celebrate two years without a new case.

“We are deeply saddened by the news that 2 Nigerian children have been paralyzed by polio”, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

But not everything is bad news.

“Though we have degraded the insurgents, there are a few hit and run cases which have endangered security in the area”. The disease’s revival will be seen as a big setback for the west African country, which had been on track to be declared polio-free in 2017.

A child being administered polio drops.

The IS presence in Nigeria is the main reason why the immunization campaign had to stop. The United Nations last month suspended aid to newly liberated but still unsafe areas of Borno after Boko Haram ambushed a humanitarian convoy, wounding three civilians including a UNICEF worker. The workers step back even when there is severe malnutrition in those territories. As many as half a million children may not have received the required dose of vaccination for the last two years, experts told told Stat. It takes 3 years without a case to be eligible for the designation.

Locals wanted to get the vaccinations, but Boko Haram wouldn’t let it happen.

As an immediate priority, the Government of Nigeria is collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to respond urgently and prevent more children from being paralyzed.

UNICEF agreed that the cases underscore the urgency of eradicating the disease in conflict-affected areas.

The release also noted that the world is very close to reaching the goal of polio eradication.

In addition to the CDC and World Health Organization, the coalition fighting to eradicate polio include UNICEF, Rotary International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

He equally said it is a reminder that the country needs to remain vigilant and immunize all eligible children with oral polio vaccine until polio is completely eradicated worldwide.

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