| NIGERIA no longer enjoys the reputation of being the | | | | vaccinations during campaigns, the growing rate of |
| country with the highest number of polio cases in the | | | | those not vaccinated with other routine antigens may |
| world. India, going by a new survey, is currently | | | | frustrate the successes so far achieved towards |
| occupying that position while 95 per cent of world's | | | | eradicating polio from Nigeria. |
| progress in polio fight recorded between 2008/2009 | | | | A breakdown of the 383 polio cases reported in |
| was attributed to Nigeria's success. | | | | states showed that Kano had the highest number of |
| The details emerged from the World Health | | | | cases with 102, followed by Bauchi, 43; Katsina, 36; and |
| Organisation (WHO) Advisory Committee on Polio | | | | Borno 20. Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Jigawa all have |
| Eradication (ACPE) after its meeting last week in | | | | 16 cases each; while Yobe, Niger and Zamfara have |
| Geneva, Switzerland, The Guardian was told | | | | 15 cases each. Ogun has 14 cases, Nassarawa and |
| yesterday by the country's representative to the | | | | Gombe nine each; Benue and Delta have seven each; |
| meeting and Executive Director, National Primary | | | | Kogi and Plateau five each while Bayelsa and Lagos |
| Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. | | | | have four each. Kwara, Ebonyi and Oyo all have two |
| Muhammad Ali Pate. | | | | each and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Adamawa, |
| Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only | | | | Edo and Abia all have one case each. |
| four countries in the world where polio is endemic and | | | | Pate told The Guardian: "We have had another very |
| have never stopped transmission of the wild poliovirus. | | | | successful round of Immunisation Plus Days (IPDs). |
| By August 7, 2009, Nigeria had reported more polio | | | | The Kano Emir played a major role with his symbolic |
| cases than India. During the year 2009 (till July 31), India | | | | flag-off and by vaccinating his grandson in the palace |
| had reported 163 polio cases compared to 349 polio | | | | on November 23. He expressed total support for the |
| cases in Nigeria. In 2008, India reported 559 polio cases | | | | polio fight until our country is free of the virus." |
| while Nigeria reported 789. | | | | Pate put the total number of children immunised so far |
| Pate said: "You will recall recent WHO Advisory | | | | at 27,840,131 but warned that the figure could be higher |
| Committee on Polio Eradication (ACPE) meeting in | | | | because more data are still being awaited from the |
| Geneva last week where Nigeria is no longer leading | | | | states. |
| the world in number of polio cases. India has had more | | | | A breakdown showed that 768,242 children had been |
| cases in 2009 than Nigeria, while last year, we had | | | | immunised so far in Abia; 758,528 in Ebonyi; 149,611 in |
| more than twice India's cases. Ninety-five per cent of | | | | Bayelsa; 741,233 in Delta; 740,358 in Ogun; 275,997 in |
| world's progress in polio fight between 2008/2009 is | | | | Oyo; 568,348 in Adamawa; 1,422,717 in Bauchi; 519,754 |
| attributable to Nigeria's success." | | | | in Borno; 817,233 in Gombe; 1,339,720 in Taraba, and |
| Also, the latest figures from the CountDown to Polio | | | | 1,850,275 in Yobe. |
| Eradication in Nigeria released after the last round of | | | | Others include 665,021 children immunised in FCT |
| Supplementary Immunisation Plus Days (SIPDs) 2009 | | | | Abuja; 811,649 in Benue; 1,333,794 in Kogi; 664,904 in |
| held between November 21 and 24, 2009, indicate that | | | | Kwara; 1,189,760 in Nasarawa; 750,129 in Plateau; |
| the country has recorded a 50.7 per cent reduction in | | | | 968,865 in Jigawa; 3,054,494 in Kaduna; 4,763,131 in |
| number of polio cases in one year while 27,840,131 | | | | Kano; 1,795,321 in Katsina, and 539,904 children were |
| children were immunised during the SIPDs. | | | | immunised in Zamfara State. |
| According to the group, as at August 2009, over 1.2 | | | | The Global Immunisation Vision and Strategy targets |
| million Nigerian children less than one year of age were | | | | countries to fewer than 90 per cent coverage at |
| not fully vaccinated against various childhood diseases. | | | | national level and at least 80 per cent coverage in all |
| CountDown to polio eradication is a monthly publication | | | | LGAs or districts. The global accepted indicator to |
| by the Expert Review Committee on polio eradication | | | | measure percentage coverage is the third dose of |
| (ERC) set up by the NPHCDA and its partners like the | | | | DPT (DPT3). DPT is the vaccine for diphtheria (a highly |
| WHO, United Nation Children Education Fund (UNICEF), | | | | contagious and potentially life-threatening bacterial |
| World Bank, Rotary International, Bill and Melinda Gates | | | | disease caused by Corynebacterium diphtheria). |
| Foundation and others in the polio fight. | | | | Analysis at the state level in August showed that only |
| The 2009 polio statistics released by CountDown | | | | Akwa-Ibom State and FCT have 80 per cent of all |
| showed that 383 children were paralysed by polio in | | | | eligible children vaccinated with DPT3 in 80 per cent of |
| 198 Local Government Areas (LGAs) from 27 states | | | | their LGAs. |
| as at November 6, 2009, compared to 777 cases in | | | | According to CountDown, the North-West zone, which |
| 238 LGAs in 25 states over the same period in 2008. | | | | is the most prevalent for polio in Nigeria, had over |
| CountDown showed that although there is evidence | | | | 350,000 children not fully vaccinated with DPT3 and |
| that many children are being reached with polio | | | | ranked the lowest among the zones. |