Maiduguri, 13 March, 2025 – In Jere Native Authorities Space (LGA) of Borno State, four-year-old Amina* from Mairi Ward in Buladina settlement has obtained intermittent immunization since beginning. Regardless of a number of vaccination efforts, she has missed a number of beneficial doses for her age, leaving her weak to poliovirus an infection.
“Amina missed some doses as a result of we are sometimes not round once they conduct the vaccination campaigns,” mentioned her mom, Saratu Bulama* (*names modified for privateness).
Amina’s story displays Nigeria’s ongoing challenges in halting poliovirus transmission and different vaccine-preventable illnesses, significantly in hard-to-reach and conflict-affected areas.
Tackling Circulating Variant Poliovirus Sort 2 (cVPV2)
Halting the transmission of circulating variant poliovirus kind 2 (cVPV2) stays a nationwide precedence for Nigeria. Regardless of vital efforts to vaccinate each youngster below 5, cVPV2 transmission persists. Between January 2024 and 10 March 2025, Nigeria reported 122 confirmed cVPV2 instances throughout 15 states, together with 10 instances in 2025 alone.
The Nationwide Main Healthcare Improvement Company (NPHCDA), below the coordination of the Nationwide Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and in collaboration with the World Well being Group (WHO), has adopted the Focused Native Outbreak Response (TLR) technique to deal with immunity gaps and curb the virus’s unfold. The technique focuses on high-risk areas aiming to vaccinate all inclined kids and interrupt transmission.
A current four-day vaccination marketing campaign focused 3.8 million kids throughout seven high-burden states: Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. By the marketing campaign’s finish, over 3.6 million kids had obtained the novel oral polio vaccine kind 2 (nOPV2). Nonetheless, challenges stay—some kids had been missed as a result of caregiver noncompliance or absence throughout vaccination rounds.
Dr Abdulkadir Usman Gana, NEOC Incident Supervisor, acknowledged the gaps: “Whereas it’s encouraging to see the excessive variety of kids reached, we should intensify social mobilization and refine our methods to deal with vaccine hesitancy and missed kids. Our objective is to make sure no youngster is left behind in our efforts to interrupt cVPV2 transmission
Focused Interventions for Most Affect
The NEOC operations working group, coordinated by WHO, performs a vital function in planning and monitoring TLR campaigns. The group employs a data-driven strategy, triangulating surveillance knowledge, routine immunization information, and polio laboratory outcomes to outline the scope of every response. Planning parameters embrace analysing pending cVPV2 isolates in LGAs, the timing of the newest instances, inhabitants immunity ranges (by way of family surveys), danger standing of neighbouring LGAs and wards, goal inhabitants estimates, vaccine availability, and logistical wants.
Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Nation Consultant in Nigeria, praised the TLR strategy as a rapid-response mechanism to include poliovirus unfold. “The focused nature of TLR permits for higher supervision and high-quality execution,” he mentioned. “We’ve got a vital alternative to show the tide in opposition to cVPV2, and now’s the time to behave decisively. WHO stays dedicated to supporting Nigeria, regardless of funding constraints.”
Mobilizing Communities for Success
WHO supported the implementing states all through the marketing campaign, from planning to execution. This included coaching over 18,727 well being employees, facilitating coordination conferences earlier than and after every day vaccination actions, and creating monitoring programs to make sure adherence to immunization schedules in focused areas. WHO deployed over 6,000 personnel throughout nationwide, state, LGA, and ward ranges to help planning and implementation.
“We supported the coordination and supervision of vaccination groups, together with logistics funds,” mentioned Dr Yusuf Muhammad Argungu, WHO State Coordinator for Sokoto State. “WHO additionally facilitated advocacy and communication actions by our intensive community of personnel throughout LGAs and wards.”
Group engagement was key. Zayyanu Adamu, a discipline volunteer in Maiyama LGA, Kebbi State, defined: “I labored with the ward focal individual to organise group dialogues, sensitising residents in regards to the vaccine’s significance. Through the marketing campaign, I collaborated with the village head to resolve instances of noncompliance and youngster absence, which boosted our success price within the ward.”
Measuring Affect By way of High quality Assurance
To validate vaccination protection knowledge, WHO supported the states in conducting Lot High quality Assurance Surveys (LQAS). Unbiased professionals, together with medical docs and college lecturers, had been deployed to randomly chosen wards and settlements. Surveyors visited 10 random households per space, verifying the vaccination standing of a randomly chosen youngster inside the goal age group.
The LQAS outcomes had been promising: 97% of surveyed LGAs achieved over 90% vaccination protection, indicating robust marketing campaign efficiency in most areas.
Wanting Forward: Sustained Efforts to Finish cVPV2
Nigeria is planning one other TLR part beginning 12 March 2025, concentrating on 946,600 kids throughout 5 states: Jigawa, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. These efforts goal to additional shut immunity gaps and maintain progress in opposition to cVPV2.
Whereas challenges like vaccine hesitancy and logistical boundaries persist, the collaboration between NPHCDA, NEOC, WHO, and native communities demonstrates Nigeria’s dedication to defending each youngster from poliovirus. With continued innovation, group belief, and international help, Nigeria is on a path towards a polio-free future.
