DESPITE security challenges in northern parts of the country, Nigeria
is the only polio endemic country in the world that has recorded
substantial reduction, 65 per cent, in polio cases and 29 per cent
increase in routine immunisation this year.
Executive Director National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Gana Muhammad, told The Guardian yesterday that the country has also not recorded any case of Type 3 polio and only one case of Type 2 in 12 months even as it has improved herd immunity in high-risk areas of the country to 80 per cent.
However, the other two polio endemic countries Afghanistan and Pakistan have continued to report cases of wild polio virus (WPV) throughout the year.
Also, the latest edition of the Weekly Polio Update published yesterday by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), read: “No new WPV cases were reported this week. The total number of WPV cases for 2013 remains 49 (all WPV1s). The most recent WPV1 case in the country had onset of paralysis on 10 September (from Kano).
“No new Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases were reported in the past week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases for 2013 remains one (with onset of paralysis on 6 June, from Borno).”
Muhammad told The Guardian, “I think the progress we have made is due to commitment from the leadership from President Goodluck Jonathan. We continue to improve on the quality of the immunisation programme and campaigns.
We have gone microscopic in terms of deploying measures. We have improved the programme in such a way that we reach every child.
“We are still having challenges with Borno and Yobe.
The major problem is insecurity but we try to reach every child. We have improved routine immunisation. People are demanding for vaccines now. We are engaging faith based organisations and all stakeholders. There is no longer generic way of dealing with the polio situation.
“We are almost 12 months without reporting any type 3 polio case. Nigeria is the only country that has reduced polio by 65 per cent within one year. We have improved routine immunisation from 52 per cent to 83 per cent by September 2013. In addition, we have improved herd immunity to not less than 80 per cent and that is an indicator that we are near eradication of the virus.”
Meanwhile, Yuryit described cholera as a “deadly disease” that could kill “within the shortest possible time because its dehydrates the victim, leading to severe gastro-intestinal impact.”
The medical expert explained further that the Namu victims suffered chronic diarrhoea and vomiting, saying that many had been hit by the disease before government intervened.
The specialist said that the epidemic was not altogether a surprise as the area had lots of internally displaced persons from Nasarawa State, a development that had put much pressure on the environment and portable drinking water.
“But we are happy that the situation is already under control,” he said.
The epidemiologist explained that he had advised health workers in private and government health centres on ways to avert a recurrence of the ailment and also on how to quickly manage the situation if it arose.
He thanked the Plateau and Nasarawa states governments for their quick response to the report, lauding the SEMAs for their massive support.
He called on government at all levels to ensure that the monthly sanitation exercise was taken seriously, especially in rural areas, to ensure good hygiene for rural dwellers.
Juryit also appealed to government to provide portable water to rural dwellers, pointing out that dirty water was the main cause of the epidemic.
He called on people in the area to promptly report any case of diarrhoea or vomiting to the nearest health centre, saying that quick action could minimise casualty rates.
Barde, in his remarks, said that the quick intervention by the agency was part of its statutory mandate, promising to continue to offer quick assistance to areas in need.
The SEMA chief said that the agency intervened to avert the possibility of the disease spreading to other parts of the state, calling on relevant agencies to assist in the management of disaster cases.
He thanked the Nasarawa government for donating drugs that would be distributed to various health centres.
Meanwhile, the GPEI report noted that the primary challenges remain to access all children in Borno State, including in areas currently inaccessible during supplementary immunisation activities (SIAs) due to insecurity, and to further improve the quality of SIA implementation in Kano state.
“Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) was administered along with measles vaccine during Child Health Days (CHDs) in north and middle-band states on October 5 to 9. Additional CHDs are planned for early November in middle-band and southern states.”
According to GPEI report, one new WPV1 case was reported in the past week. “The total number of WPV cases for 2013 is now seven (all WPV1), all of which were reported from Eastern Region, close to the Pakistan border. The most recent WPV1 case had onset of paralysis on 15 September, from Kunar province.
“No new cVDPV2 cases were reported in the past week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases in 2013 remains three. The most recent cVDPV2 case had onset of paralysis on 13 March (from Kandahar, Southern Region).”
However, four new WPV1 cases were reported in the past week in Pakistan. The GPEI report reads: “All were reported from FATA (two from Khyber Agency and two from North Waziristan).
The total number of WPV1 cases for Pakistan in 2013 is now 43. The most recent WPV1 case had onset of paralysis on 26 September (from Khyber Agency).
“The majority of WPV1 cases in Pakistan this year, 31 (72 per cent), are from FATA, of which 14 are from Khyber Agency and 13 from North Waziristan.
No new cVDPV2 cases were reported in the past week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases for Pakistan remains 29. The most recent cVDPV2 case had onset of paralysis 12 September (from North Waziristan).
“The situation in North Waziristan is becoming increasingly severe, as it is the area with the largest number of children being paralysed by wild poliovirus (13 cases) and cVDPV2s (22) in all of Asia. It is in an area where immunisation activities have been suspended by local leaders since June 2012.
“It is critical that children in these areas are vaccinated and protected from poliovirus.
Immunisations in neighboring high-risk areas are being intensified, to further boost population immunity levels in those areas and prevent further spread of this outbreak.”
Executive Director National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Gana Muhammad, told The Guardian yesterday that the country has also not recorded any case of Type 3 polio and only one case of Type 2 in 12 months even as it has improved herd immunity in high-risk areas of the country to 80 per cent.
However, the other two polio endemic countries Afghanistan and Pakistan have continued to report cases of wild polio virus (WPV) throughout the year.
Also, the latest edition of the Weekly Polio Update published yesterday by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), read: “No new WPV cases were reported this week. The total number of WPV cases for 2013 remains 49 (all WPV1s). The most recent WPV1 case in the country had onset of paralysis on 10 September (from Kano).
“No new Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases were reported in the past week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases for 2013 remains one (with onset of paralysis on 6 June, from Borno).”
Muhammad told The Guardian, “I think the progress we have made is due to commitment from the leadership from President Goodluck Jonathan. We continue to improve on the quality of the immunisation programme and campaigns.
We have gone microscopic in terms of deploying measures. We have improved the programme in such a way that we reach every child.
“We are still having challenges with Borno and Yobe.
The major problem is insecurity but we try to reach every child. We have improved routine immunisation. People are demanding for vaccines now. We are engaging faith based organisations and all stakeholders. There is no longer generic way of dealing with the polio situation.
“We are almost 12 months without reporting any type 3 polio case. Nigeria is the only country that has reduced polio by 65 per cent within one year. We have improved routine immunisation from 52 per cent to 83 per cent by September 2013. In addition, we have improved herd immunity to not less than 80 per cent and that is an indicator that we are near eradication of the virus.”
Meanwhile, Yuryit described cholera as a “deadly disease” that could kill “within the shortest possible time because its dehydrates the victim, leading to severe gastro-intestinal impact.”
The medical expert explained further that the Namu victims suffered chronic diarrhoea and vomiting, saying that many had been hit by the disease before government intervened.
The specialist said that the epidemic was not altogether a surprise as the area had lots of internally displaced persons from Nasarawa State, a development that had put much pressure on the environment and portable drinking water.
“But we are happy that the situation is already under control,” he said.
The epidemiologist explained that he had advised health workers in private and government health centres on ways to avert a recurrence of the ailment and also on how to quickly manage the situation if it arose.
He thanked the Plateau and Nasarawa states governments for their quick response to the report, lauding the SEMAs for their massive support.
He called on government at all levels to ensure that the monthly sanitation exercise was taken seriously, especially in rural areas, to ensure good hygiene for rural dwellers.
Juryit also appealed to government to provide portable water to rural dwellers, pointing out that dirty water was the main cause of the epidemic.
He called on people in the area to promptly report any case of diarrhoea or vomiting to the nearest health centre, saying that quick action could minimise casualty rates.
Barde, in his remarks, said that the quick intervention by the agency was part of its statutory mandate, promising to continue to offer quick assistance to areas in need.
The SEMA chief said that the agency intervened to avert the possibility of the disease spreading to other parts of the state, calling on relevant agencies to assist in the management of disaster cases.
He thanked the Nasarawa government for donating drugs that would be distributed to various health centres.
Meanwhile, the GPEI report noted that the primary challenges remain to access all children in Borno State, including in areas currently inaccessible during supplementary immunisation activities (SIAs) due to insecurity, and to further improve the quality of SIA implementation in Kano state.
“Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) was administered along with measles vaccine during Child Health Days (CHDs) in north and middle-band states on October 5 to 9. Additional CHDs are planned for early November in middle-band and southern states.”
According to GPEI report, one new WPV1 case was reported in the past week. “The total number of WPV cases for 2013 is now seven (all WPV1), all of which were reported from Eastern Region, close to the Pakistan border. The most recent WPV1 case had onset of paralysis on 15 September, from Kunar province.
“No new cVDPV2 cases were reported in the past week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases in 2013 remains three. The most recent cVDPV2 case had onset of paralysis on 13 March (from Kandahar, Southern Region).”
However, four new WPV1 cases were reported in the past week in Pakistan. The GPEI report reads: “All were reported from FATA (two from Khyber Agency and two from North Waziristan).
The total number of WPV1 cases for Pakistan in 2013 is now 43. The most recent WPV1 case had onset of paralysis on 26 September (from Khyber Agency).
“The majority of WPV1 cases in Pakistan this year, 31 (72 per cent), are from FATA, of which 14 are from Khyber Agency and 13 from North Waziristan.
No new cVDPV2 cases were reported in the past week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases for Pakistan remains 29. The most recent cVDPV2 case had onset of paralysis 12 September (from North Waziristan).
“The situation in North Waziristan is becoming increasingly severe, as it is the area with the largest number of children being paralysed by wild poliovirus (13 cases) and cVDPV2s (22) in all of Asia. It is in an area where immunisation activities have been suspended by local leaders since June 2012.
“It is critical that children in these areas are vaccinated and protected from poliovirus.
Immunisations in neighboring high-risk areas are being intensified, to further boost population immunity levels in those areas and prevent further spread of this outbreak.”
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