Nigeria moves to curb fresh polio outbreak in NE state: UNICEF

Nigeria has rolled out an emergency polio immunization campaign in the restive northeast Borno State, an official with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Friday.

The campaign would commence in the accessible parts of the state, Doune Porter, a spokesperson for the UN organization said in a statement reaching Xinhua.

Porter said the campaign followed confirmation of two fresh cases of polio virus in parts of the state which recently became accessible.

He said the outbreak occurred in the conflict-ridden state where children were already facing dangerously high levels of malnutrition.

Porter said the discovery underlined risks for children in conflict and underscored the urgent need to eradicate the disease in conflict-affected areas.

He said Nigeria had its last confirmed polio case two years ago and was within a year of being certified polio-free because of massive mobilization by government, partners and local health providers.

The Nigerian government on Thursday confirmed an outbreak of two cases of wild polio virus (WPV) in Borno.

Isaac Adewole, Nigeria's Minister of Health, who disclosed this to reporters, said two children from Gwoza and Jere Local Government Areas were affected.

Adewole said the discovery and confirmation of the outbreak was as a result of strengthened surveillance due to improved accessibility.

He added the surveillance was made possible by the recent military action which liberated more communities in the North-Eastern part of the country.

The minister said the detection of children paralyzed by polio showed that surveillance has increased with more access to health services.

He said detection was also a reminder that the country needed to remain vigilant and immunize all eligible children with polio vaccine until the disease was completely eradicated.

The minister directed the deployment of national emergency response team, comprising government and partners, to Borno for immediate and robust polio vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of the virus.

Adewole said the Ministry of Health, through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) with the support of partners, was conducting detailed risk analysis to ascertain the extent of circulation of the virus.

He said the assessment would assist government to determine the overall levels of population immunity in order to guide the response.

The minister said as an immediate response measure, about 1 million children would be immunized in four local government areas in the state.

Adewole reiterated the government's commitment to achieving a polio-free Nigeria and assured Nigerians that the outbreak will be controlled as soon as possible while the government will provide the needed resources to contain it.

In 2012, Nigeria accounted for more than half of all polio cases worldwide, but the country has made significant strides in recent years, going two years without recording a single case.

This progress has been as a result of concerted efforts by all levels of government, civil society, traditional and religious leaders as well as dedicated health workers. Endit