CALLS FOR ACTION TO AVERT RISK OF cVPV1/WPV1 IMPORTATION
By Vincess Okushi
The World Health Organization (WHO) country representative in Nigeria Dr. Walter Mulombo has identified Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and Kebbi states as axis of intractable transmission, that requires additional resources and cooperation of stakeholders for more impactful reach with surveillance and vaccines.
He said though, Nigeria has continued to strive towards a journey to zero for cVPV2 since the last ERC, as more than 13 rounds of SIAs have been conducted with commensurate increase in quality particularly in accessible areas.
Speaking at the Expert Review Committee on Poliomyelitis and Routine Immunization conference in Abuja, the country representative said partners’ significant improvement in the quality and impact of the circulating Variant Polio Virus type 2 (cVPV2) outbreak in Nigeria has hit a 93% decline in cVDPV2 cases since 2019, with over 2 million children in insecure areas reached owing to Improved supply of novel Oral Polio Vaccine (nOPV2) for the first time in 3 years.
Dr. Walter also disclosed that the WHO has redistributed over 3000 surge staff to respond to the current epidemiology with an average increase of about 20% in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Zamfara and sufficient spread of surge staff to Southern states to sustain the gain made.
The global risk of WPV and circulating Vaccine Polio Variants (cVPVs) transmission remains high given the endemicity of WPV1 in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the residual risks in cVPV1 and cVPV2 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa Republic, and other 12 countries in the region.
Addressing the residual risk of persistent cases of cVPV2 in Northwest state while maintaining resilience mostly in the southern zones
Bridging immunity to avert the risk of cVPV1/WPV1 importation
The current outbreak of diphtheria shows significant gaps in this regard, hence the need for calls to action
WHO is advocating for the federal government to prioritize the campaign agenda to meet the urgency of addressing immunization and PHC system gaps in Nigeria.