Abuja – As Nigeria intensifies efforts to spoil the transmission of form 2 variant poliovirus, a excessive-stage delegation from the World Polio Eradication Initiative(GPEI), visited Abuja, Nigeria, 27-28 February 2025. All throughout the seek advice from, government, faded leaders, and companions renewed their dedication to beat final challenges to stay polio in Nigeria.
The seek advice from, performed by the Polio Oversight Board (POB), which is the wonderful decision-making body of GPEI, focused on reviewing growth, addressing challenges resembling insecurity and vaccine misinformation, and mobilizing elevated domestic and worldwide give a enhance to for polio eradication.
Led by Dr Chris Elias, Chair of the POB, the delegation engaged in conversations with Nigeria’s government and the wonderful faded leader, the Sultan of Sokoto, to stress the need for renewed nation management and ownership in any admire ranges of government within the effort to spoil the continuing transmission of form 2 variant poliovirus.
Diversified participants of the delegation incorporated Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Performing WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mr Gilles Fagninou, UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr Mike McGovern, Chair of Rotary Worldwide PolioPlus Committee, Mr Derrick Sim, Intervening time Chief Vaccine Programmes & Markets Officer, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Mr. Massimo De Luca, Head of Cooperation on the Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS and GPEI Donor Consultant.
In Abuja, the delegation met with Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, who emphasised the nation’s longstanding dedication to polio eradication and underscored that extra dedication across the nation is fundamental to put in force corrective measures and spoil transmission for correct. The POB delegation furthermore met His Royale Highness Abubakar, Umar Suleiman, Mai Bade, representing the Sultan of Sokoto, who reaffirmed Nigeria’s steadfast dedication to polio eradication and routine immunization strengthening.
Additionally, the delegation met with Dr Muyi Aina, Govt Director and CEO of the National Predominant Health Care Pattern Company, and management from the National Emergency Operations Heart. They assessed the present epidemiology of the virus and discussed the suggestions from the 42nd Expert Assessment Committee (ERC) on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization in Nigeria.
The ERC, a technical body silent of experts who continuously assess the growth of a nation’s polio eradication programme, met in Abuja on 29-30 January 2025 and gave a sequence of suggestions. To shut immunity gaps and stay polio transmission, the ERC entreated elevated political management, calling for active engagement of government officers and stronger accountability measures. The ERC quick surveillance efforts and advertising campaign quality must be improved through confirmed suggestions to develop determined targeted vaccine protection. To toughen operations, the ERC quick digitalizing vaccine tracking, strengthening cool chain logistics and guaranteeing neatly timed fund disbursements. Additionally, the ERC quick routine immunization must be bolstered through integration with polio campaigns and by deploying effective social mobilization suggestions to counter misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.
All through 2023-2024, form 2 variant poliovirus transmission ranges had been static despite tremendous efforts in any admire ranges to reach every beneath-5 child with polio vaccines within the states that are laid low with variant poliovirus. As of 15 February 2025, there get been 94 confirmed polio affected kids across 15 States within the midst of 2024. No form 2 variant poliovirus circumstances get been detected in Nigeria to this level in 2025.
The POB delegation underscored that renewed dedication from stakeholders in any admire ranges of the nation’s sturdy polio eradication programme is serious to stopping the form 2 variant poliovirus from spreading inner Nigeria and across neighbouring worldwide locations. Delegates extra emphasised the must speed up the strengthening of routine immunization methods, on condition that optimum routine immunization protection is fundamental to breaking the continuing transmission of form 2 variant poliovirus.
Along with the government, the delegation agreed that rapidly growth will also be imaginable with fundamental efforts coordinating across states and federal ministries. Nigerian leaders reaffirmed their dedication to bolstering polio outbreak response actions and routine immunization to guard all kids in opposition to polio.
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About the GPEI: The World Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-internal most partnership, spearheaded by nationwide governments, WHO, Rotary Worldwide, the US Centers for Illness Regulate and Prevention, UNICEF, the Gates Basis, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Since its open in 1988, this partnership has helped spoil extra than 20 million circumstances of paralysis, kept away from extra than 1.5 million childhood deaths and lowered the incidence of wild poliovirus by Ninety 9.9 per cent.
