High-level delegation visits Nigeria, urges commitments from government

Abuja – As Nigeria intensifies efforts to discontinuance the transmission of model 2 variant poliovirus, a excessive-level delegation from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative(GPEI), visited Abuja, Nigeria, 27-28 February 2025. Everywhere in the search advice from, government, dilapidated leaders, and companions renewed their dedication to overcome finest challenges to total polio in Nigeria.

The search advice from, conducted by the Polio Oversight Board (POB), which is the very finest dedication-making physique of GPEI, centered on reviewing development, addressing challenges comparable to insecurity and vaccine misinformation, and mobilizing elevated domestic and worldwide enhance for polio eradication. 

Led by Dr Chris Elias, Chair of the POB, the delegation engaged in conversations with Nigeria’s government and the very finest dilapidated chief, the Sultan of Sokoto, to stress the necessity for renewed nation management and ownership at all levels of government in the difficulty to discontinuance the continuing transmission of model 2 variant poliovirus.

Other members of the delegation included 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 World PolioPlus Committee, Mr Derrick Sim, Meantime Chief Vaccine Programmes & Markets Officer, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Mr. Massimo De Luca, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS and GPEI Donor Representative. 

In Abuja, the delegation met with Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, who emphasized the nation’s longstanding dedication to polio eradication and underscored that extra dedication all the method in which by the nation is important to put in force corrective measures and discontinuance transmission for finest. 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. 

Moreover, the delegation met with Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director and CEO of the National Foremost Health Care Sort Company, and management from the National Emergency Operations Center. They assessed the most up to the moment epidemiology of the virus and mentioned the recommendations from the Forty second Educated Evaluation Committee (ERC) on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization in Nigeria. 

The ERC, a technical physique restful of specialists who on a odd foundation assess the development of a nation’s polio eradication programme, met in Abuja on 29-30 January 2025 and gave a series of recommendations. To shut immunity gaps and discontinuance polio transmission, the ERC entreated elevated political management, calling for exciting engagement of government officials and stronger accountability measures. The ERC advisable surveillance efforts and marketing and marketing campaign quality must light be improved by proven ideas to ensure centered vaccine protection. To enhance operations, the ERC advisable digitalizing vaccine monitoring, strengthening icy chain logistics and guaranteeing timely fund disbursements. Moreover, the ERC advisable routine immunization must light be strengthened by integration with polio campaigns and by deploying efficient social mobilization ideas to counter misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.

All over 2023-2024, model 2 variant poliovirus transmission levels were static no topic extensive efforts at all levels to attain every below-5 minute one with polio vaccines in the states which are struggling from variant poliovirus. As of 15 February 2025, there were 94 confirmed polio affected young folk all the method in which by 15 States throughout 2024. No model 2 variant poliovirus cases were detected in Nigeria to this point in 2025.

The POB delegation underscored that renewed dedication from stakeholders at all levels of the nation’s significant polio eradication programme is extreme to stopping the model 2 variant poliovirus from spreading within Nigeria and all the method in which by neighbouring worldwide locations. Delegates extra emphasized the necessity to tempo up the strengthening of routine immunization techniques, provided that optimum routine immunization protection is important to breaking the continuing transmission of model 2 variant poliovirus. 

Alongside with the government, the delegation agreed that rapid development will also be conceivable with important efforts coordinating all the method in which by states and federal ministries. Nigerian leaders reaffirmed their dedication to bolstering polio outbreak response actions and routine immunization to shield all young folk against polio. 

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About the GPEI: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-non-public partnership, spearheaded by nationwide governments, WHO, Rotary World, the US Centers for Illness Retain an eye on and Prevention, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Since its start in 1988, this partnership has helped prevent bigger than 20 million cases of paralysis, shunned bigger than 1.5 million childhood deaths and reduced the incidence of untamed poliovirus by ninety 9.9 per cent.