New polio variant hits 13 states, FCT

The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency said as of yesterday, Nigeria had recorded another form of polio called circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, cVDPV, in the FCT, Abia, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Lagos, Niger, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara States.

NPHCDA Executive Director, Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday during the agency’s second quarter meeting with northern traditional leaders committee on primary health care delivery.

Nigeria had, last year, been certified Wild Polio Virus-free by the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC).

Experts say the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, Cvdpv, particularly type 2, is rare, but has been increasing in recent years as a result of low immunization rates and can spread within communities.

Shuaib, represented by Dr Usman Adamu of the NPHCDA, said the agency had conducted four outbreak responses using the Novelle Oral Polio Vaccine “which is a preferred choice as it doesn’t seed the virus.”

He said: “Sub-optimal performance has been recorded in all the states due to high number of missed children during the exercise. This poor quality will affect how we’re able to bring this outbreak under control.”

Shuaib decried that donor funding for polio had reduced drastically.

He called on traditional rulers to continue to advocate to political leaders, the need to continue to fund Polio Outbreak Response campaigns.

“As we’re all aware, Nigeria has been certified WPV-free by the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC), however, there are cases of cVDPV2 in some states, hence the need for us as a country to jealously guard our WPV-Free status and stop the cVDPV2 transmission in our communities,” he said.

The chairman of the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Immunisation and Primary Health Care and the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammad, said traditional rulers would continue to put in their best to support initiatives and programmes of the federal government within the scope of the objectives of the committee.