The World Health Organization’s (WHO) country office stated yesterday that 13 cases of circulating Variant Poliovirus (cVPV2) had been reported in three states in 2023.
WHO Nigeria verified in a tweet that Zamfara State accounted for more than half of the circulating variant poliovirus cases recorded in Nigeria, with two other unnamed states accounting for the remainder.
WHO, in the statement, further indicated that country office of United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and GAVI, have designed a support system for the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to pioneer the use of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) and fractional doses of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (fIPV), in four states, targeting over 7.2 million children in next one week.
WHO was, however, optimistic that administering the suggested vaccine, in addition to other measures, would help to stop the mass transmission of the polio virus in the affected states.
It added that relevant agencies in Nigeria are taking adequate measures to ensure all eligible children in Zamfara State and other northern Nigeria states are protected against the fast circulating polio virus.
It also confirmed that traditional rulers in the affected communities have been engaged to champion the immunisation campaign and other sensitisation endeavours against the spread of the polio virus.
It said: “The Emir of Bungudu, Hassan Attahiru, recently flagged off the campaign of vaccination and also led the supervisory team from NPHCDA, Zamfara State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ZSPHDA), WHO Nigeria, UNICEF Nigeria, and USCDC Nigeria, on a monitoring exercise to three wards, including security compromised areas.”