Maiduguri, 13 March, 2025 – In Jere Local Authorities Discipline (LGA) of Borno Deliver, four-year-outmoded Amina* from Mairi Ward in Buladina settlement has obtained intermittent immunization since beginning. Despite multiple vaccination efforts, she has uncared for several instructed doses for her age, leaving her inclined to poliovirus infection.
“Amina uncared for some doses due to we are on the entire no longer around after they habits the vaccination campaigns,” said her mother, Saratu Bulama* (*names changed for privacy).
Amina’s story displays Nigeria’s ongoing challenges in halting poliovirus transmission and other vaccine-preventable illnesses, notably in demanding-to-attain and battle-affected areas.
Tackling Circulating Variant Poliovirus Form 2 (cVPV2)
Halting the transmission of circulating variant poliovirus form 2 (cVPV2) remains a nationwide priority for Nigeria. Despite valuable efforts to vaccinate every child under 5, cVPV2 transmission persists. Between January 2024 and 10 March 2025, Nigeria reported 122 confirmed cVPV2 instances across 15 states, including 10 instances in 2025 on my own.
The National Main Healthcare Increase Agency (NPHCDA), under the coordination of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and in collaboration with the World Health Group (WHO), has adopted the Targeted Local Outbreak Response (TLR) choice to manage with immunity gaps and curb the virus’s unfold. The approach specializes in high-possibility areas aiming to vaccinate all inclined kids and interrupt transmission.
A most up-to-the-minute four-day vaccination campaign centered 3.8 million kids across seven high-burden states: Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. By the campaign’s finish, over 3.6 million kids had obtained the radical oral polio vaccine form 2 (nOPV2). Then again, challenges remain—some kids were uncared for attributable to caregiver noncompliance or absence during vaccination rounds.
Dr Abdulkadir Usman Gana, NEOC Incident Manager, acknowledged the gaps: “While it’s encouraging to spy the high amount of kids reached, we must intensify social mobilization and refine our techniques to manage with vaccine hesitancy and uncared for kids. Our aim is to verify no child is left behind in our efforts to interrupt cVPV2 transmission
Targeted Interventions for Maximum Affect
The NEOC operations working crew, coordinated by WHO, plays a valuable role in planning and monitoring TLR campaigns. The crew employs a knowledge-driven come, triangulating surveillance knowledge, routine immunization information, and polio laboratory results to define the scope of every response. Planning parameters include analysing pending cVPV2 isolates in LGAs, the timing of the most most up-to-the-minute instances, population immunity ranges (via family surveys), possibility region of neighbouring LGAs and wards, target population estimates, vaccine availability, and logistical wants.
Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Nation Representative in Nigeria, praised the TLR come as a like a flash-response mechanism to contain poliovirus unfold. “The centered nature of TLR enables for higher supervision and high of the range execution,” he said. “Now we gain a valuable different to expose the tide against cVPV2, and now is the time to act decisively. WHO remains committed to supporting Nigeria, regardless of funding constraints.”
Mobilizing Communities for Success
WHO supported the implementing states during the campaign, from planning to execution. This included training over 18,727 effectively being workers, facilitating coordination meetings before and after day-to-day vaccination actions, and developing tracking techniques to verify adherence to immunization schedules in centered areas. WHO deployed over 6,000 personnel across nationwide, disclose, LGA, and ward ranges to reinforce planning and implementation.
“We supported the coordination and supervision of vaccination groups, including logistics funds,” said Dr Yusuf Muhammad Argungu, WHO Deliver Coordinator for Sokoto Deliver. “WHO also facilitated advocacy and verbal replace actions via our in depth community of personnel across LGAs and wards.”
Neighborhood engagement became key. Zayyanu Adamu, a discipline volunteer in Maiyama LGA, Kebbi Deliver, explained: “I worked with the ward focal particular person to organise neighborhood dialogues, sensitising residents concerning the vaccine’s significance. During the campaign, I collaborated with the village head to resolve instances of noncompliance and child absence, which boosted our success payment in the ward.”
Measuring Affect Through Quality Assurance
To validate vaccination protection knowledge, WHO supported the states in conducting Lot Quality Assurance Surveys (LQAS). Independent professionals, including clinical doctors and university lecturers, were deployed to randomly chosen wards and settlements. Surveyors visited 10 random households per residence, verifying the vaccination region of a randomly chosen child within the target age crew.
The LQAS results were promising: 97% of surveyed LGAs done over 90% vaccination protection, indicating sturdy campaign performance in most areas.
Looking Ahead: Sustained Efforts to Finish cVPV2
Nigeria is planning another TLR fragment starting 12 March 2025, targeting 946,600 kids across 5 states: Jigawa, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. These efforts aim to additional stop immunity gaps and sustain growth against cVPV2.
While challenges esteem vaccine hesitancy and logistical boundaries persist, the collaboration between NPHCDA, NEOC, WHO, and native communities demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to protecting every child from poliovirus. With continued innovation, neighborhood belief, and international reinforce, Nigeria is on a direction toward a polio-free future.
