Umahi flags off exercise, seeks total participation
Polio vaccinators in Nigeria over the weekend joined more than 190000 of their counterparts from 12 other countries across west and central Africa to immunize more than 116 million children over the next week.
The other countries include: Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Sierra Leone.
Volunteers will deliver bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) to every house across all cities, towns and villages of the 13 countries. To succeed, this army of volunteers and health workers will work up to 12 hours per day, travelling on foot or bicycle, in often stifling humidity and temperatures in excess of 40°C. Each vaccination team will carry the vaccine in special carrier bags, filled with ice packs to ensure the vaccine remains below the required 8°C.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), yesterday, in a statement said the synchronized vaccination campaign, one of the largest of its kind ever implemented in Africa, is part of urgent measures to permanently stop polio on the continent.
Children under five years of age in the 13 countries will be simultaneously immunized in a coordinated effort to raise childhood immunity to polio across the continent.
In August 2016, four children were paralysed by the disease in security-compromised areas in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, widely considered to be the only place on the continent where the virus maintains its grip.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said: “Twenty years ago, Nelson Mandela launched the pan-African ‘Kick polio out of Africa’ campaign. At that time, every country on the continent was endemic to polio, and every year, more than 75000 children were paralysed for life by this terrible disease. Thanks to the dedication of governments, communities, parents and health workers, this disease is now beaten back to this final reservoir.”
Meanwhile, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State yesterday called for total participation and cooperation of the people in the exercise. Flagging off the exercise at the Christ Embassy in Abakaliki, the governor, represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezurike described polio as dangerous and that though the state is polio free, it will continue with the exercise to maintain a zero per cent free status.
He said logistics have been put in place for the health workers to cover all the 13 local government areas in the state.
Tuesday, 28 March 2017

Nigeria, 12 others begin immunisation of 116 million children against polio
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