By Williams ABAH
There is renewed fears among residents of Abuja, following the re-emergence of the wild polio virus, WPV, in the territory, barely two years after the country announced it had successfully eradicated it.
This is even as the administration said it was mobilizing all manpower in arresting the spread of the WPV.
The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHCDA, had last Thursday, announced that a new variant of the virus had surfaced in 27 states and the FCT, with 395 of cases reported across the affected states.
Executive Director of the agency, Dr Faisal Shuaibu, in a statement regretted that the outbreak of the, Circulating Mutant Poliovirus Type 2, cMPV2, variants are caused by immunity gaps in children due to several reasons, including low routine immunisation coverage, and missing children during immunisation campaigns.
Shuaibu explained that the suspension of several polio campaigns and other health programmes in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to increased transmission of the circulating mutant poliovirus.
“The suspension of several polio campaigns and other health programmes in 2020, as well as disruptions to routine immunisation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, created further immunity gaps which led to new and wider outbreaks, and further increased transmission of the circulating mutant poliovirus both globally and within Nigeria,” he said.
Speaking on the development, the Acting Executive Secretary of the FCT Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Ndaeyo Iwot, said the administration will further strengthen its Outbreak Response, OBR, to contain the spread of the virus in the FCT.
Already, he said the board has begun visiting village heads and traditional rulers to solicit their support for the vaccination process.
He said the board had visited the district head of Lugbe, Karu chief’s palace among several communities on advocacy for the forthcoming OBR.
Iwot, who stressed that routine immunization is the key towards curbing further spread of the disease, called on residents to avail their children and ward for the vaccination.
“Right now we are engaging the grassroots like I told you. I have just left Sarkin Jiwa’s Palace and the team and I were at Karshi, Karu, Nyanya, Orozo, Gwarinpa, Garki wards yesterday (Saturday) all for this purpose to assure residents that we are on top of the situation and they should allow our officials access to their kids to vaccinate them.”
The Abuja Inquirer exclusively gathered that a total of 1,839 teams will be deployed for the operation, with 1,166 personnel to be deployed for house to house immunization.
A special team of 314 officials will also be assigned across 62 wards in the FCT, while a third teams of 124 personnel will man fixed posts.
A further 20 health camps will be set up across the six area councils in addition to 15 Directly Observed Vaccination teams.
Iwot disclosed that the administration will from January 22 to 25 begin administering oral polio vaccine to children under five years from house to house and other places where eligible children can be found such as schools, churches, mosques, playgrounds, etc.
Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children. The cMPV2 is a form of polio that often occurs due to low immunisation rates within communities.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative said the virus can mutate and take on a form that can cause paralysis just like the wild poliovirus.
The viruses thrive in areas with poor sanitation, open defecation, and inadequate access to clean drinking water.
Malnutrition occasioned by increasing poverty is also a predisposing factor in exposed children.
