The WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo and his colleague,UNICEF’s Chief of Health, Eduardo Celades have commended the Nigerian government for eradicating the troubling Wide Polio Virus (WPV) in the country over the past three years.
In their separate remarks at the occasion of the Celebration of three years of WPV Free Status in Nigeria held in Abuja yesterday,
both international organisations expressed excitement over the certification of eradication of indigenous transmission of Wild Polio Virus in Nigeria. “Nigeria became the template for the Global Polio Programme for innovations, best practices and demonstration of leadership and ownership at national and sub-national levels”, Mulombo noted .
He pledges WHO’s continued support saying, “Please be assured that WHO remains committed to supporting these priority agenda, and we
are confident that together we can cross the finish line for polio eradication very soon.
Said the WHO, “It is with great pleasure, that I join the Government and the people of Nigeria to celebrate the three years. “I commend The Presidential Task Force on Immunization, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Expert Review Committee on Polio and Routine Immunization for the leadership
demonstrated in attaining this feat”. WHO also acknowledged development partners and donors for their commitment, contributions and sacrifices made for the success.
WHO recalls the last case of WPV was reported in Borno State in 2016, adding, “It was a case of near miss for Nigeria to attain certification in 2016.
Each year over 270million doses of polio vaccines were administered Greater investments and efforts were made to reach vulnerable populations – the nomads, non-complaints, hard-to-reach populations, riverine populations, and those in areas affected by conflicts”.
However, he said that as as the country celebrates this occasion, there is need to continue to recognize the fallen heroes during the fight against Wild Polio Virus.
Mulombo called for rekindling of the spirit of selflessness to motivate the foot-soldiers, health workers,
traditional leaders, community informants to do more in order to cross the finish line.
The WHO urged that the celebration is a reminder that Nigerians can do more, “and that with strong
partnership, teamwork and accountability, achieving the priorities on primary health care
revitalization to improve routine immunization and other PHC services are just within reach”.
In his remarks, the UNICEF chief of health said, “This monumental certification not only signified the end of the WPV in Nigeria, but also meant that the entire African continent could be declared free of wild poliovirus”. He continues, “UNICEF is proud to have joined efforts by providing the life-saving vaccines, generating demand for vaccine, partnering with the traditional leaders and religious leaders as well as key stakeholders to create a positive environment for vaccination, ensuring that leaders and teams were available to resolve vaccine hesitancy, and engaging almost twenty-thousand community members to encourage millions of Nigerian mothers to take their children to the health facilities for completion of their routine immunization. “That is how we will continue to sustain this remarkable polio achievement, through strengthening routine immunisation and overall health system.
Complacency is not an option, as polio could come back if we let our guards down, looking at what happened in Malawi and Mozambique, even in the UK and USA. Polio anywhere is polio everywhere”.
But he cautions, “We might have won the battle against wild polio, but the war against all types of polio is not yet over. A circulating variant of poliovirus is still affecting too many children in Nigeria”.
“There is still a lot of work ahead of us. While we have reduced the number of zero dose children, the routine immunization rate remains low”, Celades added.
