LAGOS, Feb. 25 (Chinese media) -- The National Primary Health Care Development
Agency (NPHCDA) said it targeted to vaccinate 25 million children under the age
of five during the February and March synchronized Immunization plus Days.
Muhammad Pate, the Executive Director, NPHCDA, said this on Tuesday in
Abuja while briefing reporters on the forthcoming synchronized polio campaign in
the country.
He said sixteen states would participate in the synchronized polio
campaigns.
He explained that twelve local government areas had been selected from
Benue, Gombe, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa states and the Federal Capital Territory to
participate in the synchronized polio campaign.
"It is a large undertaking to gather eight countries in the sub-region to
work with us, each of them is working for its own sake, but collectively, we
have a common interest to stamp out polio from this part of the world," he was
quoted as saying by the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said the agency would work in collaboration with key partners during the
campaign expected to take place simultaneously in eight West African countries.
The countries include Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana,
Mali, Niger and Togo, besides Nigeria.
Pate said in order to halt the transmission of poliovirus, Nigeria and her
partners had enhanced a communication strategy to reach the rural communities.
He added that the communication strategy would be implemented in the
communities by a team of 36 mobilization officers and consultants in all the 36
states.
According to him, 32.6 million doses of vaccines would be used during the
exercise while 50,338 health workers, 10,776 volunteers and 67,184 vaccinators
would participate in the exercise, while 201,552 frozen ice packs would be used.
Nigeria, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan remained the only endemic
countries while Nigeria is the only endemic country in Africa with the highest
polio transmission in some states and local governments.
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