Nigeria remains Wild Polio Virus Free – Experts
The Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib says Nigeria remains Wild Polio Virus (WPV) free as no case of WPV has been reported anywhere in the country since the last case in 2016.
He said reports in some sections of the media claiming that there is an outbreak of a new polio variant in some states is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.
Dr. Faisal Shuaib in a press release issued to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday said Nigeria and the African region were certified WPV-free on the 25th August 2020 and therefore, the polio-free status of the country is not in any way under threat.
He stated that rigorous verification and certification process by the African Regional Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (ARCC) which spanned 3 years of no detection of WPV. Till date, there has been no case of WPV isolated anywhere in the Country.
According to him, “What is being misconstrued for an outbreak of WPV is the detection, through our robust disease surveillance system of 22 cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis, spread across seven (7) States (Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara).
He added “These non-wild polio viruses originated as a result of normal changes in the reproduction of viruses. These viruses are not as virulent as WPV and are also being reported in other countries. Working with our donors and development partners, Nigeria has already acquired new tools and resources to ensure these viruses are contained”.
Shuaib therefore assured Nigerians that the Agency and partners will continue to conduct surveillance and vaccination campaigns in order to prevent and contain any possible importation of the Wild Polio Virus.
