Nigeria Sees A Decline In Cases And Plans To Eliminate Polio By Next Year.

In order to improve strategies and guarantee that the nation totally eradicates every single type of polio by the end of 2023, the Federal Government has started working with partners.

At the 39th meeting of the Expert Review Committee (ERC) on Polio and Routine Immunization in Nigeria yesterday in Abuja, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), disclosed that Nigeria had experienced circulating variant polio virus in some states over the past few years due to low routine immunization coverage.

Adding that the organization “worked with multiple donors and partners to achieve what we’ve been able to do in the last six years in terms of maintaining a zero WPV transmission,” he urged that the solidarity and cooperation that resulted in the eradication of the Wild Polio Virus (WPV) in Nigeria should be maintained.

We’ve noticed that we’ve done a fantastic job by reducing the number of such instances by over 90%, said Shuaib.

“We’ve seen a scenario where the agency is doing a better job of reaching more children because of the synergy between regular immunization and polio programs.”

He said that in order to educate people about immunization, NPHCDA collaborates with traditional and religious leaders, as well as community-based organizations and the media.