Nigeria Records 58 Per Cent Polio Reduction -NPHCDA

The Executive Secretary of  National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Ado Muhammad has disclosed that, Nigeria has recorded a reduction of polio eradication by 58 percent in the last one year.

Muhammed made this known when the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu visited the Agency in Abuja on Thursday, January 9.

"In the last one year, we have been able to reduce the burden by 58 per cent. We have also been able to collapse the genetic clause end from eight to two. We have also been able to restrict the case to Borno, Yobe and Kano. We are now carrying out the final onslaught and we are optimistic that this year, Nigeria will say bye-bye to polio," he said

Reiterating the federal government's commitment to intensify efforts to eradicate polio in the country, Chukwu said the federal government is committed to increase the national immunisation campaign in order to strengthen human resource for the elimination of polio virus.

Chukwu said the government had not relented on its efforts to continue routine immunisation in the state despite the killing of some health workers in Kano.

"The State Governor, Musa Kwankwaso, along with the community heads, has assured us that there is nothing that can discourage them in the fight against polio. Though, the Federal Government shared their views, but we noticed that there were operational issues in some local governments.

"We found out that the performance was not at the level that we expected, what we are doing now is to begin to inject new human resources. Those we think could be more committed to take over from those who may not have been doing it that well. With what has happened, we are looking forward to the next round of the campaign,'' he said.

However, Muhammad assured that the agency would do more to ensure that the mandate vested on the organisation was discharged effectively to make Nigerians healthier in the fight against polio.