Abuja – As Nigeria intensifies efforts to halt the transmission of kind 2 variant poliovirus, a high-level delegation from the International Polio Eradication Initiative(GPEI), visited Abuja, Nigeria, 27-28 February 2025. In the course of the go to, authorities, conventional leaders, and companions renewed their dedication to beat remaining challenges to finish polio in Nigeria.
The go to, carried out by the Polio Oversight Board (POB), which is the best decision-making physique of GPEI, centered on reviewing progress, addressing challenges resembling insecurity and vaccine misinformation, and mobilizing elevated home and worldwide assist for polio eradication.
Led by Dr Chris Elias, Chair of the POB, the delegation engaged in conversations with Nigeria’s authorities and the best conventional chief, the Sultan of Sokoto, to emphasise the necessity for renewed nation management and possession in any respect ranges of presidency within the effort to cease the continued transmission of kind 2 variant poliovirus.
Different members of the delegation included Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Performing WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mr Gilles Fagninou, UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr Mike McGovern, Chair of Rotary Worldwide PolioPlus Committee, Mr Derrick Sim, Interim Chief Vaccine Programmes & Markets Officer, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Mr. Massimo De Luca, Head of Cooperation on the Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS and GPEI Donor Consultant.
In Abuja, the delegation met with Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Well being and Social Welfare, who emphasised the nation’s longstanding dedication to polio eradication and underscored that additional dedication throughout the nation is important to implement corrective measures and cease transmission for good. The POB delegation additionally met His Royale Highness Abubakar, Umar Suleiman, Mai Bade, representing the Sultan of Sokoto, who reaffirmed Nigeria’s steadfast dedication to polio eradication and routine immunization strengthening.
Moreover, the delegation met with Dr Muyi Aina, Govt Director and CEO of the Nationwide Major Well being Care Growth Company, and management from the Nationwide Emergency Operations Middle. They assessed the present epidemiology of the virus and mentioned the suggestions from the forty second Knowledgeable Assessment Committee (ERC) on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization in Nigeria.
The ERC, a technical physique composed of consultants who usually assess the progress of a rustic’s polio eradication programme, met in Abuja on 29-30 January 2025 and gave a sequence of suggestions. To shut immunity gaps and finish polio transmission, the ERC urged larger political management, calling for lively engagement of presidency officers and stronger accountability measures. The ERC really useful surveillance efforts and marketing campaign high quality should be improved by confirmed methods to make sure focused vaccine protection. To reinforce operations, the ERC really useful digitalizing vaccine monitoring, strengthening chilly chain logistics and making certain well timed fund disbursements. Moreover, the ERC really useful routine immunization should be strengthened by integration with polio campaigns and by deploying efficient social mobilization methods to counter misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.
All through 2023-2024, kind 2 variant poliovirus transmission ranges had been static regardless of great efforts in any respect ranges to achieve each under-5 baby with polio vaccines within the states which can be affected by variant poliovirus. As of 15 February 2025, there have been 94 confirmed polio affected kids throughout 15 States throughout 2024. No kind 2 variant poliovirus instances have been detected in Nigeria thus far in 2025.
The POB delegation underscored that renewed dedication from stakeholders in any respect ranges of the nation’s strong polio eradication programme is vital to stopping the sort 2 variant poliovirus from spreading inside Nigeria and throughout neighbouring nations. Delegates additional emphasised the necessity to speed up the strengthening of routine immunization methods, on condition that optimum routine immunization protection is essential to breaking the continued transmission of kind 2 variant poliovirus.
Along with the federal government, the delegation agreed that fast progress might be attainable with important efforts coordinating throughout states and federal ministries. Nigerian leaders reaffirmed their dedication to bolstering polio outbreak response actions and routine immunization to guard all kids in opposition to polio.
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In regards to the GPEI: The International Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership, spearheaded by nationwide governments, WHO, Rotary Worldwide, the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, UNICEF, the Gates Basis, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Since its launch in 1988, this partnership has helped stop greater than 20 million instances of paralysis, prevented greater than 1.5 million childhood deaths and lowered the incidence of untamed poliovirus by 99.9 per cent.