KANO— KANO State Government, at last, has informed the World Health Organisation (WHO) of its intention to resume polio immunisation campaigns next month even as travellers into the country have been warned to vaccinate themselves against polio by the World Health Organisation. (WHO)
According to WHO’s Director of General, Dr, Lee Jong-Wook, the signal from Kano State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekaru, has confirmed that he (Gov. Shekarau) has accepted that the oral polio vaccine was safe and effective.
Announcing that the governor has requested assistance from WHO in the planning and implementation of the campaign, he said training for the July campaign had begun since Saturday, June 26, 2004, adding that already WHO and other partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have offered their support to the campaign.
“These developments coincided with discussions between the Director-General of WHO, President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Federal Minister of Health, Mr. Eyitayo Lambo, as well as requests from WHO member countries for piece of advice on the status of polio epidemic in Nigeria.
He stated that the resumption of immunisation campaigns in Kano was now critical to rapidly increase population immunity and to help contain the international spread of polio from Nigeria which he said, was the key to the global effort to eradicate the disease.
Dr. Jong-wook, however, noted that the international KANO— KANO State Government, at last, has informed the World Health Organisation (WHO) of its intention to resume polio immunisation campaigns next month even as travellers into the country have been warned to vaccinate themselves against polio by the World Health Organisation. (WHO)
According to WHO’s Director of General, Dr, Lee Jong-Wook, the signal from Kano State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekaru, has confirmed that he (Gov. Shekarau) has accepted that the oral polio vaccine was safe and effective.
Announcing that the governor has requested assistance from WHO in the planning and implementation of the campaign, he said training for the July campaign had begun since Saturday, June 26, 2004, adding that already WHO and other partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have offered their support to the campaign.
“These developments coincided with discussions between the Director-General of WHO, President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Federal Minister of Health, Mr. Eyitayo Lambo, as well as requests from WHO member countries for piece of advice on the status of polio epidemic in Nigeria.
He stated that the resumption of immunisation campaigns in Kano was now critical to rapidly increase population immunity and to help contain the international spread of polio from Nigeria which he said, was the key to the global effort to eradicate the disease.
Dr. Jong-wook, however, noted that the international community was concerned about the rate at which wild polio virus continue to spread internationally from northern Nigeria since immunisation activities were suspended late last year.
“I welcome these steps towards the resumption of polio immunisation report by the governor. To date, the on-going suspension of immunisation campaigns in Kano has put thousands of children in African countries at risk of polio paralysis. The suspension has also resulted in the re-emergence of polio in countries which had been polio free. If the campaigns were not resumed in Kano, billion dollar effort involving 20 million people would be in jeopardy.”
Speaking on travellers to Nigeria, the director general said it was important that they protect themselves by being up-to-date with vaccination against poliomyelitis as outlined in WHO’s International Travel and Health Guide.
Any individual travelling to Nigeria should have been vaccinated as recommended by their national governments. He further said in order to ensure that all possible measures ware considered to prevent the re-emergence of the endermic polio, WHO has begun a consultative process with experts to evaluate additional measures that might be required to prevent the spread of wild polio virus from northern Nigeria.
Ten countries previously free of polio virus have been re-infected. It could be recalled that Kano State recently boycotted polio immunisation in the country, arguing that the vaccine was unsafe for the people.
