- The United Nations Children’s Fund has urged Nigeria to use lessons learnt from its polio eradication campaign to eradicate malaria, Lassa fever and other diseases from the country.
The United Nations Children’s Fund has urged Nigeria to use lessons learnt from its polio eradication campaign to eradicate malaria, Lassa fever and other diseases from the country.
The Executive Director of UNICEF, Henrietta H. Fore made the call on Tuesday via the agency official Twitter handle.
She said, “The eradication of wild poliovirus happened because of community volunteers who visited parents and caregivers.
Children cannot get immunised without the support of parents and caregiver who said ‘yes’ when vaccinators knocked on their doors.
“We must use the networks and pathways which we used to eradicate wild polio, to eradicate other diseases such as malaria, Lassa fever and Ebola.
“24 years later we’ve proven that a polio-free Africa is possible. As we face #COVID19 we must summon that same spirit.
“It happened because community leaders, journalists, teachers, broadcasters who all worked together to spread the word. On behalf of the entire @UNICEF family, congratulations to Africa and the people of Africa, for this very important milestone,” she said.
Also commenting on Twitter, Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins described Nigeria’s polio-free status as a momentous achievement that calls for a celebration.
According to him, the development did not only signifies the end of the wild poliovirus across the entire African continent but also signified a significant springboard towards attaining global polio eradication.
“UNICEF joins Nigeria in celebrating this milestone and congratulate Nigerian children especially, but we must remember that the job is not over.
“All caregivers must continue to vaccinate their children against vaccine-preventable childhood diseases, including polio. Religious and community leaders, as champions of wild poliovirus eradication, should continue to mobilise caregivers to vaccinate their children for all preventable diseases. Children need their help now more than ever,” he said.
Hawkins posited that not only is polio vaccination still crucial, it is also critical to children’s survival.
“We must all work together to strengthen routine immunisation services and ensure that all children under five receive all vaccines, including the polio vaccine.
“This is not the time for Nigeria to take its foot off the accelerator. This is the time for Nigeria to strengthen its primary health care system, and give routine immunisation a vital boost,” he said.
Today, only two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan – are yet to stop the endemic transmission and achieve the polio-free.
In its announcement on Tuesday, the WHO said that Nigeria has made remarkable progress against polio, but noted that continued vigilance is needed to protect these gains and ensure that polio does not return.
