hehehehe.....The Federal Government has released
N9.8bn to fight against the polio outbreak especially in communities in
the North-East affected by the activities of Boko Haram insurgents.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac
Adewole, said this at a press briefing in Abuja against the backdrop of
two new cases of polio recorded in the country.
He named the new response plan to
include five rounds of polio campaigns, three of which would be focused
on 18 northern states and two to be conducted nationwide.
The minister assured Nigerians that
funds would not be an issue, as the country had enough fund coverage for
polio vaccination programme.
Adewole said, “We have earmarked N9.8bn
for polio and by Monday the entire N9.8bn will be released. For the
sub-national campaigns, 31, 540, 054 children are targeted to be
vaccinated each round with oral vaccines across states in the
North-East, North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones of the
country. For the nationwide response, 56, 363, 618 children will be
vaccinated between October and November 2016.
“The revised plan was informed by
factors such as historical data on WPV affected areas, pattern of
transmission over the last five years, population displacement due to
insecurity in the North-East, likelihood of spread of the virus to other
neighbouring countries and population immunity.”
The minister stated that Nigerians going
on Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia would undergo compulsory
immunisation against polio as one of the conditions for entering the
Holy Land.
“Plans are underway to reinforce and
intensify immunisation of intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Vaccines
have been provided at the different international port health locations
and airports. This is consistent with the International Health
Regulations,” he noted.
The minister said that one of the cases
was found in a boy who had stayed in at Muna Internally Displaced
Persons Camp in Jere Local Government Area in Borno State.
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