Polio in Nigeria: Why e take di kontri time to reach end of road with di disease

Women gada to give polio vaccine to small pikin

Wia dis foto come from, NPHCDA

    • Author, Olubunmi Okunnu
    • Role, Broadcast Journalist
  • Read am in 3 mins

As di World Health Organisation declare say Africa go soon near point wia e no go get Wild Poliovirus cases again, Nigeria presido Muhammadu Buhari say belle sweet am say im kontri don free from di virus.

Dr Faisal Shuaib wey be oga of National Primary Health Care Development Agency - wey dey in charge of public health mata for Nigeria - confam to BBC Nigeria say na on Thursday, 18 June 2020, Nigeria collect di certificate to show say dem no get Polio again.

Oga Buhari react to di announcement with statement wey thank all those wey epp Nigeria to fight di virus, from local and international health joinbodies dem, to those wey contribute money and di traditional rulers for di northern region of di kontri, wia di virus plenty well for.

For 2016, na small remain for di West African kontri to become free of polio, when sand-sand enter dia garri.

According to di president, "after about 2 years without any case", na so dem hear say some cases still dey for Borno state, north-eastern Nigeria.

Almost 4 years later, Nigeria fit celebrate achievement of polio eradication, but one kweshion wey go dey pipo mind be say why e take so long for di kontri to end polio.

Why e tey for Nigeria to chase polio comot

Dr Shuaib follow BBC tok about di problems wey don hold Nigeria back for many years and wetin dem don do to rise above am.

Traditional and religious belief - From time, some Nigerians dey wey believe say all vaccines na oyinbo man way to put more disease into pesin body. But for di northern part of di kontri, di mentality dia na say polio vaccine fit cause woman not to see pikin born.

Solution na to find way to involve di traditional and religious leaders and educate dem of di benefit of vaccination. Because dia leaders believe am, di community pipo sef come begin change.

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Insecurity for some regions - In di past, katakata wey Boko Haram militants carry go Borno State, for instance, bin make am difficult to torchlight di area for who and who dey infected but for recent years tins don change.

Dr Shuaib say im team dem manage to find way to enter dis hot-hot places to do dia work.

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Political will - Although e don tey wey Nigeria dey try eradicate polio - and many goments try - di administration of Buhari go wan take do glory say na under dem, di kontri see say di plan bear fruit.

Sharp-sharp tins to sabi about Polio

  • Na virus disease wey get different types. Wild Polio Virus (WPV) and cVDPV (type 1,2,3)
  • Polio dey usually affect pikin under five
  • Cure no dey for am but vaccine fit make pesin no catch am
  • Pesin fit give polio to anoda pesin, through water or food wey contaminate
  • For 1996, WHO say poliovirus paralyse more than 75,000 pikin across Africa
Faisal Shuaib

Wia dis foto come from, Twitter/Faisal Shuaib

Dr Shuaib use di opportunity to clear mata about one N9.8bn ($48,000) wey Oga Buhari say im approve during di 2016 outbreak for Borno. NPDCHA oga say all di money no just be for Borno, but dem use am for all states in Nigeria. Also, na from di money dem take treat oda disease join and use some take do humanitarian support for those wey need epp.

"All Nigerians suppose congratulate demsef say dem achieve dis ogbonge tin, say almost four years no case of polio for fi kontri and now we dey polio-free," tok Dr Shuaib.