Nigeria News

Abuja, 13 July 2016 - His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari has agreed with Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director (RD) for Africa, on the need for increasing domestic funding for health in Nigeria.

The President told Dr Moeti, who was accompanied by Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and WHO Country Representative, Dr Rui Gama Vaz; that his administration will continue to prioritize the health sector for government funding.

Maiduguri, 15 July, 2016 - A WHO-accredited Polio laboratory with the capacity to handle 15,000 stool samples per year within the polio eradication initiative from 10 states in the north of the country has been commissioned at the University of Maiduguri Teaching hospital (UMTH) on 14 July, 2016.

Abuja, 23 July 2016 - Nigeria has been polio-free for two (2) years since the country’s removal from the list of polio-endemic countries on 25 September 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO). This is the longest period Nigeria has ever gone without a case of wild poliovirus (WPV) and the closest the country, has ever been to ending polio. This important milestone leaves the global community cautiously optimistic that ending polio in Nigeria, and the whole African region, is within reach.

Abuja, 12 August, 2016 - With improved surveillance among recently accessible populations of Borno State, Nigeria has identified two (2) wild poliovirus (WPV) cases, the first to be detected since July 2014.

Addressing partners and stakeholders on 11 August, 2016, the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, confirmed that two children have been paralyzed in Gwoza and Jere local government areas (LGAs) of Borno State. The isolated viruses are linked to a virus last detected in Borno in 2011.

Abuja, 16 August, 2016 - An external surveillance team is in Nigeria to assess the sensitivity of the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system. The assessment team will work at the national level and selected states of Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto from 15 to 25 August, 2016. The team further intends to determine the potential source or reservoir of the recently detected wild polio viruses in Nigeria.

Maiduguri, 17 August, 2016 - Immediate outbreak response (OBR) to recently detected wild polio viruses (WPV) in Borno State commenced on 15 August, 2016 with vaccination of children below five years of age in the two (2)  affected local government areas (LGAs) of Jere, Gwoza and three (3) surrounding LGAs of  Mafa, Maiduguri Municipal Council (MMC) and Bama.

Abuja, 18 August 2016 - The Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has declared the recent polio outbreak as a national public health emergency following the  report of two (2) wild polio virus (WPV) cases in Gwoza and Jere local government areas (LGAs) of Borno state last week after two (2) years without a single case.

Maiduguri, 18 August 2016 - The Commissioner for Health, Dr Haruna Mshelia has applauded the World Health Organization (WHO) for deploying an international surveillance and outbreak response (OBR) review team to Borno State. The team which is headed by Dr Arshad Quddus from WHO Headquarters in Geneva plans to assess the sensitivity of the surveillance system in the state and the quality of the OBR conducted for the last circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus (cVDPV) case reported from the state in May, 2016.

Emergency team met key health sector partners on the ground; OCHA, MSF, ICRC and UNFPA to review health response and coordination.

Estimated 750,000 - 800,000 persons in dire need of health sector interventions in the newly liberated areas of Borno state.

Access constraints continue to hamper delivery of health care in many parts of the Northeast.

22 August 2016 – A WHO emergency health team has arrived in Maiduguri city, north-eastern Nigeria, to assess and respond to the health needs of 800 000 people in the area. WHO and partners will work with local officials to urgently reduce the rates of death and disease caused by malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and a long-term lack of access to basic health services.