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Tag: polio

  • ‘Nigeria will be polio free in 7months’

    ‘Nigeria will be polio free in 7months’

    Nigeria is only seven months away from being declared a polio free nation and we have to do all our best to ensure this, the Special Adviser, Lagos State Ministry of health, Dr Yewande Adeshina’s has said.

    She spoke at flag off ceremony of first round of 2015 national immunisation plus days at the Ikeja Local Government, Lagos.

    She said Nigeria will be polio free in the next seven months if it does not have record of any new case within the next seven months.

    “In three years time, we will officially become declared free of polio. It is good to know that since 2009 when we had like 200 cases, we only had six cases last year and so far we have not had any and there are seven more months to say we have not had any new case in a whole year which puts us in another level. This is why we must all come together to take Nigeria off the list of the countries that is causing the menace of polio in the world.”

    Dr Adeshina said since the Federal Government established the polio eradication initiative which all the state in the country must participate; diverse measures have been put in place to achieve it.

    She said: “In Lagos state, we are doing beyond the flagging off which is recommended, we have embarked on massive media campaign to increase the awareness of the importance and safety of polio immunization. Jingles are being aired, Local Government Areas social mobilises have been moving within the communities to sensitize and mobilize the citiens, town announcements, community dialogues, church/mosque announcements, sensitizations with schools, and advocacy meetings with LGA Executives and key traditional and religious leaders have been and are being carried out.

    “We are also using the house to house and transit components which will administer only OPV to children between 0-59 months irrespective of their immunisation status.”

    She encouraged parents to ensure that children and wards are taken to the Primary Health Care Clinics to receive vaccines and all other scheduled immunizations, adding that this would prevent them against preventable  killer diseases.

    She called on mothers, leaders in state, community, traditional and religious sector to take full responsibility in ensuring that every child in their community receives all the necessary polio and other scheduled immunizations.

    She used the opportunity to urge people to collect their PVC, vote and vote for their conscience and not for the stomach.

    The Executive Secretary of Ikeja Local Government, Hon Adekunle Dally-Adeokun noted that immunisation is the right of every child in the state adding that no eligible child should be exempted for whatever reason as the exercise will go a long way to prevent outbreak of poliomyelitis  in the state.

     

  • Polio survivours Walk-a-Thon

    Polio survivours Walk-a-Thon

    Members of Rotary 9110 and Polio survivors during a Walk-a-Thon in Surulere, Lagos, in commemoration of this year's World Polio Day. Photo: Nneka Nwaneri
    Members of Rotary 9110 and Polio survivors during a Walk-a-Thon in Surulere, Lagos, in commemoration of this year’s World Polio Day.
    Photo: Nneka Nwaneri
  • Delta Rotary Club walks for polio eradication

    Delta Rotary Club walks for polio eradication

    The Zone 10 of Rotary Club in Delta State last weekend staged a Peace Walk as part of its ‘Kick-Out Polio’ campaign in Warri and other towns in the zone.

    The walk, which started at the Angle Park, went from Ogunu road, through the Airport Road to Peggy Hotel in the Oil City. It was led by the Assistant Governor, Zone 10, Mr Oak Ebere and President of Warri Rotary Club, Rotarian Bawo Oteri and dozens of other members of the club.

    Speaking with Niger Delta Report on the significance of the exercise, Oteri said Nigeria and two other countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan – are the only three countries in the world where there is still polio.

    “In Nigeria, about 99 per cent success has been recorded in the fight to eradicate polio. The significance of the Peace Walk is to create more awareness about polio and to encourage people to fight it until total eradication is achieved.

    “We also want to use the opportunity to charge stakeholders in the health sector, parents and everybody to lay more emphasis on polio eradication. It doesn’t take much to eradicate, just a simple and dedicated adherence to immunisation procedure is all that is required,” Oteri added.

    He said the exercise comprised members of the club in Warri, Effurun GRA, Ubeji, Ekpan and Orerokpe, which makes up the Zone 10 of District 9140.

    Speaking in the same vein, the Assistant Governor, Zone 10, Mr Oak Ebere, revealed that the exercise happened simultaneously in all the zones in the District 9140, comprising 11 states in the Southsouth and Southeast zones.

    “We are telling people of the effect of polio on children but if they are immunised with vaccines at the appropriate time, they will not be affected. That is the message. So, parents should ensure that their children are immunised to safeguard their future from polio.”

  • Six polio cases recorded in 2014

    Six polio cases recorded in 2014

    The Nigerian National Polioplus Committee has regretted that Nigeria still ranks third in the index of countries having the polio epidemic.

    It is ranked with Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Chairman of Nigeria National Polioplus Committee (NNPPC), Dr Tunji Funsho, has said.

    The chairman noted that though the country had been struggling with the epidemic since 1985, it recorded six cases this year in two states: five in Kano and one in Yobe.

    But he said the cases represented 99 per cent reduction from previous cases.

    A lot of work should be done to ensure that children are immunised against the virus, Funsho said.

    The chairman addressed reporters at the weekend on the committee’s activities ahead of the World Polio Day on October 24.

    He hoped that polio could be eradicated, like small pox, if everybody did the right thing.

  • Gombe in danger after three polio-free years

    Gombe in danger after three polio-free years

    After almost three years of being polio-free, Gombe State seems to be at risk of the disease and other contagious childhood killer-ailments.

    This followed the discovery of measles among refugees, who trooped in from Borno State into Gombe.

    Chairman of the National Association of Community Health Practitioners, Mohammed Kabir Babangida dropped the hint at the Internally Displaced Persons camp.

    He said they have immunised 110 in a camp that is believed to hold more than 250 children, adding that they were frustrated by non-compliance to the immunisation programme by the IDPs.

    “We gave them health talks to sensitise them on personal hygiene, environmental hygiene and other clinical issues before embarking on immunisation because we realise they avoid immunisation,” he said.

    The UNICEF D Field in Bauchi, which also controls Gombe State, has donated relief materials worth millions of naira to the IDP camp.

    Ajiya Thomas, who brought the items, said they include learning materials for school children, blankets, vaccines, food items and other household items.

    Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency Dr. Danlami Arabs Rukujei said they have been working with NEMA in the provision of food and other items to the refugees.

    Not less than 500 adult IDPs were said to have been registered last week, with more coming in.

  • Nigeria may be free of polio in 2018 – Bill Gates

    Nigeria may be free of polio in 2018 – Bill Gates

    Nigeria could cut the number of polio cases to zero next year and be declared free of the disease in 2018 even though a national eradication campaign has had to contend with an insurgency in the north, Bill Gates told Reuters.

    The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports the global initiative to wipe out polio, which includes a campaign in Nigeria, one of three nations where the crippling virus is still endemic. The other two are Pakistan and Afghanistan.

    “We have got all the challenges up in northern Nigeria, the violence from Boko Haram, and the distraction of an upcoming election,” Gates said in a telephone interview, referring to an Islamist rebel group that has in the past targeted vaccination workers, and to Nigeria’s national vote next year.

    “Despite all that, we’ve got by far the lowest numbers of cases ever,” he said. “We hope by the end of next year we’d be at zero.” He added that if there were no more cases for three years after that, Nigeria could be certified clear in 2018.

    The technology billionaire-turned-global philanthropist was speaking last week before a speech on Thursday at Addis Ababa University on development in Africa, mainly in health and agriculture.

    “We’ve got a pretty optimistic view of what can happen in Africa in those two areas,” he said before his trip to Ethiopia, a nation stricken by famine 30 years ago but which has doubled farm output in the last eight years.

    In health work, one of his most high-profile programmes is the fight against malaria, the mosquito-borne disease that infects more than 200 million people a year and kills more than 600,000 people. Nine out of 10 deaths are in Africa.

  • Polio still a global hazard

    Polio still a global hazard

    Just when it looked as if polio was nearing global eradication, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the international spread of polio a public health emergency that warranted aggressive control measures. In response, WHO has urged all nations to carry out more vigorous immunisation campaigns.

    Ten countries currently have active transmission of wild poliovirus; three of these countries are still endemic for the disease and seven are classified re-infected.

    In Geneva last week, experts at the World Health Assembly, the world’s health policy-making body, discussed the emergency measures intended to reach all children with oral polio vaccine.

    All countries are expected to implement phase 1 containment activities for poliovirus by the end of 2015, ensure highly sensitive surveillance for polioviruses, and implement relevant polio vaccination recommendations for travellers.

    These WHO declarations underscore the urgent need to eradicate the disease; and yet, younger generations in many countries have lived in polio-free countries for so long, they don’t know what polio is, or why it’s such a pressing threat.

    Polio is a highly contagious, devastating disease that mainly affects children under five years of age. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.

    The virus enters the body through the mouth, multiplies in the gut, and spreads easily via faecal contaminated food and water. Initial symptoms to look out for include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.

    There is no cure for polio, but it can be prevented through administration with oral polio vaccine (OPV). Given multiple times, it can protect a child for life.

    Reaching every last child

    Since its launch, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a public-private partnership including Rotary, WHO, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more recently, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and national governments, has reduced the global incidence of polio by more than 99 per cent. More than 10 million people are walking today who otherwise would have been paralysed.

    Until polio is eradicated, all countries remain at risk of outbreaks. Together, we have eliminated 99 per cent of cases since 1988 – when the world saw 1000 cases per day. With only 1 per cent left, we are “This Close” to ending polio for good.

    Rotary International, a spearheading partner of the GPEI, decided to aggressively increase polio awareness by launching an online photo awareness campaign where participants submit a picture making the “This Close” gesture, relaying how close we are to ending this disease.

    As of this week, the World’s Biggest Commercial now has more than 100 000 participants from 171 countries. To spur participation at the launch of the World’s Biggest Commercial campaign, PhRMA donated USD 50 000 to Rotary’s PolioPlus program – enough to provide oral vaccine to protect more than 83 000 children against the paralyzing disease.

    You can take action by showing your support. Be part of the World’s Biggest Commercial. Snap a photo of yourself making the ‘This Close’ sign and upload it into the commercial. Show it to your friends and family and ask them to do the same.

    Your involvement will help convince world leaders that the support for polio eradication is global. It’s time to make history together. Tweet to @endpolionow and let @rotary know what you are doing to help #endpolio and visit http://thisclose.endpolio.org/en to submit your ‘This Close’ photo.

     

    Dr Couillard is an international health columnist that works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease prevention and control. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement. Reach him via: Facebook: Dr Cory Couillard and Twitter: DrCoryCouillard

     

     

  • Jonathan tasks governors on polio

    Jonathan tasks governors on polio

    As Nigeria intensifies efforts to eradicate polio from the country, President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday called on state governors to provide leadership in their states.

    He also assured Nigerians that his administration will continue to provide the required funding for the polio eradication programme.

    Jonathan spoke at the opening of the Nigeria Polio Summit 2014 in Abuja organized by the Federal Ministry of Health in Collaboration with Rotary International District 9125.

    The theme of the summit is: Sustaining the End Game Strategy Tempo, “Polio End Game …Let’s End It Now.”

    Jonathan, who was represented by Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said governors should continue to provide personal leadership for the programme by requesting and reviewing monthly reports from the Local Government Chairpersons on progress being made.

    While also acknowledging the success made so far by the country, Jonathan however warned that governments at various levels cannot afford to rest on their oars until the scourge is finally eradicated.

    The country in the last five months only recorded two cases of polio compared to the preceding year, 2013 where it recorded 26 cases within the same period.

    Nigeria and Pakistan are the only two countries still with incidence of polio, as the other country-India exited the list last month.

    He said: “Let me again call on our Executive Governors to continue to provide personal leadership, in your states, for the programme, by requesting and reviewing monthly reports from the Local Government Chairpersons, on the progress being made in their respective LGAs.

    “This same intensive monitoring should also be demanded of LGA chairpersons, within their area of jurisdiction.”

     

  • Polio’s discovery worries Bayelsa govt

    Bayelsa State government is worried over a case of poliomyelitis discovered at a remote community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state.

    Governor Seriake Dickson was said to have lamented the polio which is the only case so far reported in Nigeria since this year.

    Following the development, the National Polio Eradication Committee (NPEC), had instructed the state to carry out three rounds of intensive polio immunisation campaigns.

    The second round of the immunisation campaign was inaugurated in Yenagoa recently. Dickson who spoke through his deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) confirmed the single case of polio virus in Ekeremor and vowed that the state would not tolerate the transmission of the virus.

    He said everybody must be mobilised to stop the virus and implored eligible children to receive the vaccine during the campaign. The governor also called on religious and traditional rulers to create awareness in their communities and ensure that every eligible child is vaccinated.

    He further urged chairmen of local government areas to provide adequate logistic support and mobilise chiefs, women groups and religious bodies. Dickson asked mothers to ensure that their children are fully immunised before their first birthday.

    He said his administration has invested massively in health infrastructural development. He said after the completion of the ongoing general hospitals in the eight local government areas of the state, the government would confront the challenge of manpower development.

    Also, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ayibatonye Owei, observed that polio cases have drastically reduced in the country with the South not recording any case in more than three years.

    “In Nigeria, only one new case of polio has been isolated this year even in the northern parts of the country. Surprisingly, a new case of polio was discovered in Ekeremor local government area”, he said.

    Owei said vaccination team would go round the state to administer two drops of the oral polio vaccine into the mouths of every child. He said discussions had been held with the Delta State team to synchronise immunisation in the two states.

    Also, a representative of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), Dr. Andrew Etsano, disclosed that the Federal Government has earmarked N3.6b in the 2014 budget to eradicate polio in the country.

    Etsano said that N3.5b was provided in the budget for routine immunisation services which he said underscored President Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment in kicking polio out of the country. He said the Polio Eradication Centre has been established with the mandate of totally eradictaing polio in the country by June 2014.

    He said only one case of polio has been recorded so far this year against 56 cases that occurred at the end of 2013. Confirming that the single case was recorded at Ekeremor local government area, Bayelsa State, he said Nigeria was at the verge of kicking the polio out finally.

    He appealed to the state government to set up a vibrant polio task force and improve on health infrastructure in different local government areas.

    Speaking on the development, the World Health Organisation (WHO), said only three countries have not successfully eradicated polio. WHO’s Representative, Dr. William Komakeche, said four countries in Africa had so far reported one case of polio each.

    According to him, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and Nigeria, were among the countries. He said: “Tremendous achievements have been made in Nigeria but it has to be totally stopped otherwise other parts will be affected”.

    He said though a new case was recorded in Bayelsa, the government had responded very well to curtail it.

  • Rotary gives US$7.7 million to fight polio in Nigeria

    Rotary gives US$7.7 million to fight polio in Nigeria

    Rotary International, a spearheading partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has released a grant totalling US $7.7 million to support polio immunization activities and research in Nigeria.

    The funding commitment comes at a critical time to reach the high-risk unvaccinated remainder.

    Poliovirus continues to wreck havoc in the north-east and north-central part of the country with states in the north being the main source of polio infections elsewhere in Nigeria and in neighbouring countries.

    “Rotary’s funding of polio immunization activities and research brings anticipation of a polio-free Nigeria and hope to millions of high-risk children,” said Mr Abdulrahmen O. Funsho, National PolioPlus Committee Chair in Nigeria.

    Grant amounts were based on requests from eradication initiative partners UNICEF and the World Health Organization, which work with the Nigerian government to plan and carry out immunization activities.

    Other countries where Rotary funds will be used to fight polio include Burkina Faso, $2.1 million; Cameroon, $3.4 million; Democratic Republic of Congo, $3.9 million; Niger, $2.3 million; Somalia, $1.3 million; South Sudan, $2.6 million; and Sudan, $1.2 million.

    UNICEF will use a Rotary grant of $2.73 million to bolster vaccination activities throughout the Horn of Africa as part of an on-going response to an outbreak that began in 2013 and has now infected more than 200 children.

    These so-called “imported” cases are linked to the strain of polio endemic to Nigeria, underscoring the need to stop the virus where it has originated.

    “Rotary and our partners the federal and state governments, WHO, UNICEF, CDC, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Dangote Foundation are working to ensure that by end of this year 2014 no child is in danger of contracting polio and its severe irreversible consequences,” Funsho adds.

    Understanding polio is important in the fight against it. Polio is a highly contagious, devastating disease that mainly affects children under five years of age. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.

    The virus enters the body through the mouth, multiplies in the gut, and spreads easily via faecal contaminated food and water. Initial symptoms to look out for include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.

    There is no cure for polio, but it can be prevented through administration with oral polio vaccine (OPV). Given multiple times, it can protect a child for life.

    Since its launch, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has reduced the global incidence of polio by more than 99 per cent. More than 10 million people are walking today who otherwise would have been paralysed.

    The polio cases represented by the remaining one per cent are the most difficult to prevent due to cultural barriers, high rates of poverty and illiteracy, poor public infrastructure, geographical isolation and sometimes armed conflict or social unrest.

    Until polio is eradicated, all countries remain at risk of outbreaks.

    *Dr Couillard is an international health columnist that works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease

    prevention and control. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.

    Email: drcorycouillard@gmail.com

    Facebook: Dr Cory Couillard

    Twitter: DrCoryCouillard