The World Health Organisation is set to certify Nigeria a polio-free nation, only if it can sustain the tempo till March 2020, according to the Nigeria Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPCHDA).
NPCHDA Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, at a media parley in Abuja, yesterday, declared that Nigeria has not had any incidence of the Wild Polio Virus since 2017.
Nigeria is expected to complete the presentation of documentation in that regard between March 2-6,2020; at the 25th African Regional Certificate Commission meeting, scheduled to hold in Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This was just as the Agency said nearly 10 percent of newborn deaths occur in Nigeria, while one in every eight Nigerian children die before their fifth birthdays.
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Shuaib said: “Polio was eradicated in Nigeria in 2017…It is our belief that we will never see a case of wild polio virus again in Nigeria. It means there is no more poliovirus in Nigeria. It is a significant milestone for the country.
“By June 2020, Nigeria will be polio-free, although, we could face threats from countries that have not fully eradicated the virus. It is a huge moment and we are certainly counting down to when we will be certified polio-free.”
On infant mortality and NPCHDA’s efforts at vaccination of children in the country, the ED added: “In 2026, 2017, when the immunisation survey was conducted, it covered only 32 percent…You can imagine that this coverage was for one vaccine… So, it became very critical for us to set up that coordinating mechanism, that will ensure that we have one plan, one management system, so that everybody will address the issue; focusing mainly on those efficient ways you could pass vaccines through every nook and cranny.
“As a result of that coordination center, we were able to double the immunization coverage in some areas; preventing the number of completely preventable deaths because we’ve been able to increase the number of children who have access to vaccines. Those vaccines would check against those diseases that cause death in children.
Earlier, NPCHDA’s Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr. Abdullahi. B. Garuba disclosed that “Nigeria makes up only two percent of the world’s population but accounts for 14 percent of global maternal death burden. One in every eight Nigerian dies before their fifth birthday and every day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-5s and 145 women of child-bearing age.”
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