The Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Saraki has congratulated Nigerians for maintaining a 365 days free of poliomyelitis (Polio) in the country.
Dr. Saraki said the successes recorded in Nigeria in Polio eradication in the past 365 days without a single case of the virus was as a result of the relentless hard work of partners, religious, community leaders, and health workers.
He expressed how pleased he is with the successes in Polio eradication that has a case study of 801 wide cases of polio reported in 21 states in 2005 with 62 wild cases and 34 circulating vaccine-derived cases (cVDPV) that had an endemic transmission rate in 2011 coupled with 122 wild cases and 8 circulating vaccine-derived cases.
The Senate President who is a Medical Doctor further expressed his happiness in the containment of Polio in the country because the transmission rate in 2012 was endemic with reported 53 wild cases and three circulating vaccine-derived cases which were recorded as transmission endemic in 2013 to now having no documented case of poliomyelitis in 365 days.
Senator Saraki disclosed how he undertook a bipartisan approach as the chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) by leading yuhis colleagues, public-spirited groups and companies in private sector to partner with Federal Government and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a better and more extensive polio immunization in Nigeria.
He credited the successes recorded in the eradication of the virus to the introduction of the immunization Leadership Challenge.
He explained that the challenge, which was designed in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to reward states in Nigeria that made significant improvements in polio and routine immunization coverage was to fast track achievement of the global milestone of interrupting further transmission of polio virus in Nigeria.
Senator Saraki urged Nigerians not to relent in this fight against polio which has been responsible for significant number of mortality and morbidity mostly in children under 5 years of age stressing that as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting the virus.
The Senate President emphasizes the imperative need to continue the good work towards eliminating this crippling and potentially fatal virus until the World Health Organization (WHO) certifies that Nigeria is a polio free come 2017 and take Nigeria off the list of countries where the disease is endemic and for Nigeria as a nation to adopt this approach to tackle other diseases currently prevailing in the country.
