The Federal Government announced on Thursday its determination to eradicate the circulating vaccine‑derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in 2023. It also reported that 96 percent of the country’s local government areas (LGAs) have achieved full coverage in the outbreak response against cVDPV2. Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), made these statements at the Northern Traditional Leaders’ Committee on Primary Health Care Development Delivery Review Meeting in Abuja.
Dr. Shuaib explained that when a population is seriously under‑immunised, enough susceptible children exist for excreted vaccine‑derived polioviruses to begin circulating. If the vaccine virus circulates uninterrupted for a prolonged period, it can mutate and, after 12–18 months, regain neurovirulence, becoming a circulating vaccine‑derived poliovirus. The lower the population immunity, the longer these viruses survive, allowing them to replicate, change, and exchange genetic material with other enteroviruses as they spread. Conversely, a fully immunised population is protected against the spread of both wild and vaccine strains of poliovirus.
While commending the northern traditional leaders for their significant contributions to eradicating wild poliovirus (WPV), Dr. Shuaib said, “We would not have been able to eradicate WPV without the Northern Traditional Leaders’ Committee on Polio Eradication.” He noted that progress this year is crucial: although cVDPV2 cases have been reduced by over 90 percent, the target for 2023 is to bring the number down to zero. “The message must resonate in this room, because you are the people who will make it happen,” he added.
For the first time in the history of Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts, 96 percent of LGAs have scored 100 percent in reaching children with the vaccine, despite security challenges in some areas. Dr. Shuaib emphasized that this level of coverage should become the standard: “No child should be missed in any campaign, just as we succeeded in eliminating WPV. cVDPV2 requires the same commitment to finish the job.” He announced intensified routine immunisation campaigns in February, March, and April to reach children who were previously missed.
Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire called on the incoming administration to invest in primary health care (PHC). He highlighted that poor maternal and child health indices are largely generated in rural areas lacking access to healthcare. Ehanire urged advocacy for increased PHC investment from the government and philanthropists, and urged traditional leaders to demand a standard PHC facility per political ward from state and local authorities. He stressed that routine immunisation is a free, safe, and effective service available nationwide, and that parents and caregivers must be mobilised to follow the Nigerian RI schedule.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, pledged to continue mobilising households to demand PHC services, especially vaccines for children. Represented by the Emir of Argungu and Chairman of the NTLC, Sumail’a Mera, the Sultan noted that the review meetings provide opportunities to discuss scheduled activities, assess progress, share good practices, and exchange new ideas. “We will continue to ensure that every husband and mother is motivated to demand PHC services, especially vaccines for their families,” he affirmed.
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