In Nigeria, stakeholders  will not be reducing their guards towards all  types of poliovirus

Lagos – 14 February 2023 – Alhaji Safejo Amogbon (fondly known as Baba – Father within the Yoruba language) is an octogenarian (89 years). however his age,  he nonetheless mobilizes folks in his group (Surulere-Safejo,  Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State) to current their kids for vaccination. 

He is among the group’s pillars of help on well being and training, and he leverages his years of expertise to coach mother and father concerning the significance of vaccination, particularly towards poliovirus. 

“I’ve seen folks crippled by the poliovirus. It’s a nice reduction that the illness has been eradicated. We have to proceed vaccinating our youngsters in order that the illness doesn’t come again. 

It’s good for the elders and conventional leaders to attract from their years of expertise and become involved in elevating consciousness concerning the significance of immunization actions to youthful folks,” he says. 

Realizing the importance of vaccination, Baba Amogbon had provided a bit of his compound to deal with a Well being Care Centre  (Basiri Well being Centre) for 13 years earlier than it was moved to its everlasting website.

Leaving no little one behind


Though Nigeria has been licensed wild poliovirus-free, the nation continues to be battling the circulating variant poliovirus sort 2 (cVPV2). 

To make sure that the nation eradicates all types of the poliovirus, the Authorities of Nigeria, in collaboration with World Well being Group (WHO), and the World Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), in addition to companions, not too long ago concluded the second spherical of the polio vaccination marketing campaign in Ekiti State, south-west Nigeria. 

The four-day mass marketing campaign lined 540,369 kids beneath 5 years of age within the 16 Native Authorities Areas (LGA) of the state. It aimed to interrupt the transmission of poliovirus by vaccinating each eligible little one within the locality with two doses of the oral polio vaccine. The primary part of the outbreak response (OBR) was performed in December 2022 and the second in January 2023. 

The Supplementary Immunization Exercise (SIA), is an outbreak response following the cVPVD2 circumstances detected in Lagos and Oyo states.  Though the SIAs are one of many 4 pillars of eradicating the illness, it’s supposed to enhance, not substitute, routine immunizations (RI).

Through the mopping-up train to make sure that no little one was missed, Jeptha Salami, a 28-month-old boy was among the many kids found and vaccinated by the supervisory workforce throughout one of many mop-up days; making certain all eligible kids within the Surulere-Safejo group, Basiri ward in Ado-Ekiti have been vaccinated.

“Please come right here, my son is but to be vaccinated, hailed Jeptha’s mom (Mrs Salami Valuable), as she sighted the workforce. 

The 36 years outdated mom of two had swiftly risen from the bottom of her petty retailer the place she lay along with her son to obtain the vaccination workforce. 

“My son had not obtained his vaccine as a result of I’ve been out of city. I known as out as a result of I perceive he must obtain the vaccine to be protected towards polio. Having heard from well being staff and jingles on the radio concerning the illness, I don’t have an excuse for him to overlook the vaccination as it’s free and secure,” she says.  

Unalloyed dedication


Commending the state’s dedication in direction of defending   all of the eligible kids, the State Immunization officer (SIO), Mrs Christianah Ajimati says Ekiti’s final reported case of cVPV2 was in 2005. 


She highlighted that efficient social mobilization, availability of the vaccine, chilly chain system and supportive supervision, enhanced  the standard of the vaccination marketing campaign, particularly  within the hard-to-reach areas.

Moreover, the WHO State Coordinator, Dr Akinola Fatiregun, acknowledged that the OBR marketing campaign was necessitated by the cVPV2 outbreak in Lagos State. 

He defined {that a} related marketing campaign was carried out in Lagos State and her catchment areas (together with Ekiti State) as a immediate measure to curb additional unfold. 

“To ensure high quality vaccination campaigns, WHO supported the state with coaching and well timed direct cost of logistics to implementers, manufacturing of information instruments, and supervision of the operations room for information collation and well timed dissemination of suggestions for motion,” he says. 

In 2022, Nigeria reported 46 circumstances of cVDPV2 from  Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and 85 cVDPV2 isolates from environmental websites. To interrupt the transmission of the illness, WHO with funding from GPEI companions, has been supporting the federal government in finishing up SIA campaigns throughout the nation. 

Technical Contacts:


Dr Akinola Fatiregun; E-mail: fatireguna [at] who.int>


Dr Loveday Nkwogu; E-mail:  nkwogul [at] who.int