FG putting in place measures to prevent re-emerging variants of Polio Viruses – Dr Ehanire

By Doosuur Iwambe

The minister of health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has said that the federal government is putting in place measures to prevent the re-emerging variants of the polio viruses (cVPV2) in the country.

Speaking during his remarks at the third year anniversary of wild poliovirus eradication in Nigeria, Dr Ehanire admitted that the impact of COVID -19 and insecurity in some parts of the country is fuelling the re-emerging variants of the cVPV2.

He however assured that the ministry has directed the NPHCDA to mount the needed response to deal with these viruses within an integrated framework in order to address other public health challenges.

He said; ‘’The past 3 years have been a mixed bag of events for the country as the impact of COVID-19 affected our health system, and also the emerging security in some parts of the country poses a challenge to the onslaught of the re-emerging Variants of the Polio Viruses (cVPV2) which are remnants in the environment as a result of suboptimal environmental sanitation and can potentially be virulent and affect children who have not been enrolled in the Routine Immunization system.

‘’However, we have directed and guided the NPHCDA to mount the needed response to deal with these viruses within an integrated framework in order to address other public health challenges including the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination in the country’’.

Also, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) urged leaders not to relax saying, Nigeria may have successfully subdued WPV but the threat posed by all other types of polio is not yet over.

UNICEF Chief of Health, Eduardo Celades in his goodwill message said, circulating variant of polio-virus was still affecting too many children in Nigeria.

“This monumental certification not only signified the end of the WPV in Nigeria, but also meant that the entire African continent could be declared free of wild polio virus.

“UNICEF commends the efforts of the Nigerian government for the unrelenting commitment, determination, and support from partners, traditional, community leaders, health workers, and caregivers.

“Nigeria has successfully sustained the victory over wild polio. However, Nigeria would need to sustain the remarkable polio achievement, through strengthening routine immunization and overall health system.

“Complacency is not an option, as polio could come back if we let our guards down, looking at what happened in Zambia and Mozambique, even in the UK and USA. Polio anywhere is polio everywhere,” he added.

He said UNICEF was proud to have joined efforts by providing the life-saving vaccines, generating demand for vaccine, partnering with the traditional leaders and religious leaders as well as key stakeholders to create a positive environment for vaccination, ensuring that leaders and teams were available to resolve vaccine hesitancy.

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According to him, the team comprising almost 20,000 community members worked tirelessly to encourage millions of Nigerian mothers to take their children to the health facilities for completion of their routine immunisation.

The Sultan of Sokoto who was represented by Emir of Argungu, HRH Sumaila Mohammed Mira thanked the NPHCDA for appreciating the contributions of traditional rulers in the promotion healthcare delivery for the people.

He recalled that at the onset of the Covid-19 vaccination, there was so much distrust, adding that with the intervention of traditional leaders such misinformation about the vaccines was gradually giving way and rate of vaccination has increased.