WHO, Ekiti Warn against Sudden Polio Outbreak, Set to Vaccinate Children

Victor Ogunje

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned Nigeria against the laxity of being certified polio-free, saying the country should be vigilant to prevent sudden outbreak of the killer disease.

This came as the Ekiti State government has urged mothers to present their children for the special polio vaccine that would be administered between November 13th and 16th this year, to prevent irreversible paralysis in children and contraction of type 2 and 3 viruses causing the polio disease for children below 0 and five years.

A WHO expert and medical Practitioner, Dr. Eyitayo Emmanuel, said this in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, during a stakeholders’ meeting, to sensitise members of the public on the upcoming special polio vaccination that would be administered on children below five years across the 16 local government areas of the state.

Emmanuel described the vaccine as the best weapon against virus that have the capacity to deform children if not properly handled.

He said: “We have to be vigilant. Children must complete their doses, so that they won’t be affected by any sudden outbreak. We fear about gradual returning of polio to Nigeria, because the world is now a global village.

“Though Nigeria is certified-free, but Pakistan and Afghanistan are yet. We have a special vaccine that can make up for children that are susceptible and it is two doses in 30 days.

“Those majorly probe to the new strain of polio are children that didn’t take full dose of regular polio vaccine. There is no overdose in this special vaccine and it is different from the one being commonly administered on children.”

The Immunisation Officer, Ekiti State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Mrs. Chiristianah Ajimati, said as part of efforts to ensure that children in Ekiti State and Nigeria were protected against avoidable diseases, the state government may henceforth order the arrest of parents who resist vaccines for their children under the Child’s Rights Law.

Ajimati, who expressed disappointment that some mothers were resisting the oral vaccine said: “The child rights law is in place. The children have their own rights under the law and we have to enforce that.

“The government can arrest any parent who refuses to allow his children to be vaccinated. But we are together here in Ekiti and that is why we are using persuasion.”

She also expressed displeasure that some churches and mosques that ought to play supportive roles were not cooperating, urging religious organisations to advice against such unfriendly dispositions.

On the trend of vaccination in Ekiti, Ajimati added: “Moba Local government had the highest with 92.7 percentage coverage while Ado and Gbonyin local governments were the least covered.

“That is why we are adopting house-to- house campaign, visiting markets, religious centres, schools and farmsteads.

“We have over 1,360 teams that will visit all the towns and villages. We appeal to CAN and Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs to talk to churches and mosques to be receptive when our teams visit them.”

The Director, Disease Control, Ekiti State in the Primary Health Agency, Dr. Nicholas Ojo, said, though Nigeria had been certified polio- free, the country still needed to be proactive because of suspected cases in some states of the federation.

“We must remember that Pakistan and Afghanistan that are war torn countries, are yet to get the polio-free certificate. Nigeria who is the giant of Africa shouldn’t be having polio problem, in order not to happen, we have to be vigilant about all these diseases. We shouldn’t allow polio returns to Nigeria. We must keep polio at zero,” Ojo said.