Polio Re-Surfaces In Nigeria, Says UNICEF
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has reported that polio has resurfaced in Nigeria and is spreading across several states, despite the country being declared polio-free in 2020.
It attributed the situation to a low vaccination rate, particularly in the northern regions, and the reluctance of some parents to consent to their children receiving vaccinations.
It made this statement during an orientation programme hosted by UNICEF, the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME) yesterday in Lagos.
Similarly, the two media organisations have entered into a memorandum of understanding with UNICEF to bolster the efforts of the United Nations agency and advocate for children’s well-being in Nigeria.
This is just as the two media organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding with UNICEF to support the work of the United Nations agency and promote children’s welfare in Nigeria.
UNICEF’s Representative in Nigeria Cristian Munduate, along with two other officials – Dorothy Ochola-Odongo and Prosper Dakurali – highlighted the alarming increase in polio and malnutrition cases in Nigeria.
On the issue of polio, it would be recalled that Nigeria, the last country in Africa to be affected, was declared polio-free on August 25, 2020, by The Africa Regional Certification Commission.
However, after the certification, the country started to report cases of another variant of polio virus; The Vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) which is a rare phenomenon that occurs when the weakened poliovirus in oral poliovirus vaccines (OPV) mutates and regains its ability to cause disease.
According to UNICEF, oral poliovirus vaccines (OPV) contain a weakened form of the poliovirus, adding that when a person receives OPV, the weakened virus helps their body build immunity against polio.
The cVDPV can spread to others, causing polio in people who are not fully vaccinated or have weakened immune systems.
