The National Primary Health Care Development Agency says it is working to urgently stop the transmission of variant Poliovirus type II (cVPVII) by December.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, made this known during a Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on PHC delivery strategic meeting with traditional leaders of inaccessible areas in six states.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting is organised by the NPHCDA in collaboration with the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development.
According to Dr. Faisal, there are currently 48 reported cases of cVPVII and gave an assurance that the agency will halt the transmission of the variant by building a stronger routine immunisation and PHC system.
The director thanked the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar III for his unwavering leadership and endorsement of primary health care programmes and interventions.
He urged other traditional leaders to see beyond the challenges and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead to end the take grip of all variants of polio in the country.
He said, “I will like to express my sincere gratitude to Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care Delivery, under the esteemed chairmanship of His Royal Highness, Alhaji Samaila Mera, the Emir of Argungu.
“Your consistent support has strengthened our determination and emphasized the significance of collaborating with the traditional institution in shaping our nation’s healthcare landscape.
“Your guidance and influence have the power to shape the destiny of our communities, and today, we are here to listen and ask for your partnership in securing a healthier and brighter future for our children.
“Now, the time has come to overcome the polio counterpart known as the circulating variant of polio virus (cVPV2). We have the tools, the knowledge, the experience and the unwavering spirit to achieve this monumental task. Your leadership can accelerate our progress.
“The battle against the cVPVII, requires a united front – a bond between traditional, religious and local leaders, health workers, parents, and every citizen who dreams of a polio-free future.”
“Your insights, rooted in the deep knowledge of your communities, are invaluable. Through collaboration, we can devise strategies to reach children in these security-challenged areas. Over the past two weeks, similar dialogues took place in Sokoto and Zamfara.
“We are sending a resounding message that our communities stand together, fortified against challenges that dare to hinder our progress.
“Let us address these concerns with the knowledge that vaccines have saved countless lives; that they have given us the gift of health and vitality. Our commitment to eradicating all forms of polio viruses is driven by a collective responsibility to protect our children from preventable suffering.”
Dr. Faisal urged traditional leaders to encourage parents and caregivers to embrace vaccines in their communities.
In his remark, a representative of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Walter Mulombo, said the ongoing inaccessibility to the delivery of primary health centre services to communities in the North has brought setbacks to the country in achieving universal health coverage.
He said the setback affected the country, especially in the instances where vaccination teams cannot access communities because of the fear of being kidnapped or killed.
Dr. Molombo added that community informants and surveillance officers had also been limited in their work of disease surveillance, detection and reporting.
According to him, community members had been limited in their movement to health centres to access health services.
“These Zero Dose children’ have not received any doses of vaccines, or they are under-immunised for their age.
“During pregnancy, the mothers of these Zero Dose children’ could not visit the health facilities for the required antenatal care and to worsen it all, the deliveries of these children were not attended to by skilled birth attendants due to community inaccessibility,” he said.
The WHO representative urged them to maintain valuable support to checkmate the phenomenon of team members, finger-marking eligible children without vaccination, through intensified close supervision of their activities.
The News Agency of Nigeria the agency said the outbreak of cVDPVII came to the fore barely one year after Nigeria was certified wild polio virus-free by Africa Regional Certification Commission.
Before the certification, Nigeria was the only wild polio-endemic country in Africa, with the last case detected in 2016.
Since 1996, polio eradication efforts had prevented up to 1.8 million children from the crippling life-long paralysis and saved approximately 180, 000 lives, according to the WHO.
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