Nigeria, Set To Be Removed From List Of Polio Endemic Nations

Nigeria, Set To Be Removed From List Of Polio Endemic Nations



Nigeria is set to be declared  "polio free" country next year, the District Governor of Rotary Club international, District 9110, Mr Kola Sodipo has disclosed.

Speaking to journalists in Abeokuta yesterday, Sodipo stated "We have had over 26 months of no single virus in Nigeria and if it  continues like this, Nigeria will be declared a polio free country next year."

Sodipo stressed that cases of polio in the country had drastically reduced from 388 to zero, assuring "By next year Nigeria will be removed from the list of polio endemic nations."

He revealed that  Rotary Club International had committed over 10 billion US dollars to the eradication of polio "worldwide", adding that the federal government had also committed 300 million US dollars in the last three years for the eradication of the deadly disease in the country.

His words "Since the launch of Rotary’s Polio-Plus in 1985 and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, we have seen last cases of the disease marked in every continent except two. Currently, Africa has gone two years without polio and will soon be declared "polio free".

He explained that once polio is eradicated in Nigeria, "We can free up approximately 40 billion US dollars in resources that will be used to tackle other diseases."

According to him Rotary has committed itself to raise 150 million US dollars in support of polio eradication by 2020, an effort he said would  be matched with "2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."

Revealing the danger of the polio virus, Sodipo said "The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, that cause paralysis."

But explained "If a population is fully immunized against polio, it will be protected against the spread of both wild and vaccine strains of poliovirus."

"Between two and ten, out of 100  have paralysis from polio virus infection die because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe, Sodipo revealed."

"Between 2009 and 2017", the Rotary Club Boss said "Nigeria went from 388 cases to zero. In fact, as at 2012, Nigeria had assumed a pariah status in the global polio eradication community because it was singlehandedly responsible for half of the global incidence of polio. Today, due to the efforts and commitment of Rotary and her partners, Nigeria has gone more than two years without polio.