10 November 2008
The Delta State Government has intensified surveillance of its borders to prevent the spread of wild polio into the state.
WHO had reported the spread of the wild-type polio in six states of the federation and blamed Nigeria for being behind the spread of wild polio to other countries in Africa.
The Director, Delta Primary Healthcare Agency, Dr. Tobi Majoroh, told the News of Nigeria in Asaba that the Ministry of Health had put in place measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
He said that border communities in the state had been placed on surveillance to curtail the spread of the virus, and added that vaccination exercise had also increased in those areas.
"We are not resting on our oars, we have intensified campaigns and increased our regular monthly immunisation exercise.
"We have covered more than 95 per cent of all the communities, our concentration now is the hard to reach areas and difficult terrain," he said.
Majoroh said the wild-type polio, which had been reported in six states, was eliminated from Delta five years ago, and that no such cases had been reported.
WHO reports say that African countries such as Egypt, Niger, Nigeria and lately Mali and Burkina Faso have increasing cases of wild-type polio virus.
Poliomyelitis is a viral infection that affects the nerves of the spine and often results in inability to move or control parts of the body.
In Nigeria, the disruptions of polio immunisation campaigns caused by unfounded fears of vaccine contaminations led to 789 cases of polio in 2004, the highest in any country.
WHO says 12 other countries previously free of the disease have now reported new polio cases "imported" from Nigeria.
These countries include Chad, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Guinea and Mali.
According to the world organisation, vaccination of children has been intensified in affected countries and support from donor agencies has also increased.
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