Reuben Buhari
16 November 2008
Kaduna — Kaduna State Governor, Namadi Sambo, has described the 751 cases of wild polio virus recorded in Nigeria, which makes it responsible for 90 per cent of all cases in Africa in 2008, as an embarrassment to the Federal Government.
Sambo, whose state ranks fourth with 48 cases behind Katsina with 78 cases, Zamfara with 85, and Kano having the highest recorded cases in the country with 263, has, however, said Kaduna is attempting to totally eradicate the virus by equipping its 115 Primary Health Care centres to include immunisation of polio as part of the general duty of the centres.
Represented by Commissioner of Health, Dr Peter Everton, at a breakfast meeting organised by a group; Journalists Against Polio (JAP), Sambo said the country's 751 cases of polio recorded in 25 states with the bulk of it from the north is unacceptable, and should be a source of concern to all leaders in the country especially those from the north, who he urged to devote more effort towards eradicating the virus.
While adding that all the PHC in the state are being made attractive to ensure that people go there for immunisation and other medical needs instead of frequenting general hospitals, Sambo said the north's high cases of the virus is not helped by unscrupulous immunisation officers, who dig holes and bury the oral polio vaccines meant for children and then come back to report that they have administered it.
He also described the media as key partners in the struggle to eradicate polio, adding that if the media joins the campaign, Nigeria would not be listed with India, Pakistani, and Afghanistan as four endemic countries in the world where polio still exist.
He said out of 125 countries in the world with polio in 1985, only these four countries today still harbour the virus.
The breakfast meeting which had in attendance, media executives, religious leaders, civil societies groups and members of the State Action Committee on Immunisation (SACI), was primarily organised to sensitise media executives on the need to do more on the struggle to eradicate polio in Nigeria and enlighten the public on the forthcoming Integrated Measles Campaign, which includes giving soaps and other hygienic items to children immunised for both polio and measles.
State Coordinator of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Emmanuel Musa, who gave the current measles situation of Nigeria, said the north is also leading other regions in confirmed cases of measles, adding that Kaduna State is second behind Jigawa, which has the highest cases.
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