Nigeria News

Abuja, Nigeria 02 February, 2015 - In Kaduna, 43,201 children were vaccinated on highway check points, markets and motor parks during the January 2015 polio supplemental immunization days conducted between 24-27 January across the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to avoid importation and exportation of polio viruses in the state. This activity is in line with the state’s resolve to remain polio free and working in tandem with the most recent Polio Expert Review Committee’s (ERC) recommendation.

Abuja, Nigeria 5 February 2015 - In efforts to kick start the process of a state level health workforce registry in Nigeria, the World Health Organization (WHO) has supported Bauchi and Cross River States to hold two workshops to pre-test the National Health Workforce Registry (NHWR). A fully functional NHWR is expected to be ready by the middle of 2015.

Ibadan, Oyo Nigeria 5 February, 2015 – To sustain interruption of wild poliovirus transmission in Nigeria, the World Health Organization’s Immunization, Vaccines and Emergencies (IVE) Cluster conducted a weeklong review and planning meeting in Ibadan, Oyo from 2 to 6 February 2015. 
 
The six geo-political zones reviewed their performances in 2014, developed zonal and state work plans for 2015, strengthened routine immunization activities, enhanced surveillance systems, and solidified the accountability framework to ensure prudent management of resources.

Abuja, Nigeria 19 February, 2015 - The World Health Organization (WHO) State office in Ogun, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health (SMOH), has intensified surveillance activities along international border communities to ascertain the sensitivity of the surveillance system at priority sites and close any surveillance gaps as a major step towards achieving the realization of the temporary recommendations to reduce international spread of polio.

Abuja, 20 February 2015 -- Nigeria has introduced the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) into the nation’s routine immunization schedule at a ceremony presided over by the supervising Minister of Health, Dr Alhassan Khaliru which was attended by the WHO Country Representative (WR), Dr Rui Gama Vaz and other development partners such as UNICEF, USAID, CDC, DFATD – Canada among others, in Abuja on 20 February 2015. IPV is very safe and highly effective in preventing paralytic disease caused by all three types of polio viruses.

Abuja, 28 February 2015 -- In determined efforts to interrupt poliovirus circulation in Nigeria, the surge capacity personnel of the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to support the government to implement special innovations of the National Polio Eradication Emergency Plan to reach and cover areas with extant insecurity in Borno and Yobe States.

Abuja, 10 March 2015 - In Rivers, one of the two States in Nigeria that recorded an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) and successfully contained it in August 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) team is using the open data kit platform at the Ebola Emergency Operation Center’s server for enhanced acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance for polio as well as integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) reporting.

Abuja, 23 March 2015 - The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has inaugurated the National Laboratory Containment Committee (NLCC) for polio virus.  The inauguration of the committee on 20th March 2014 in Abuja by the Executive Director(ED), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Ado Mohammed, is seen as a major milestone in the fight against the polio disease  in Nigeria. 

The eight-member committee is chaired by Dr Muhammad Dallatu, a virologist, working with the Usmanu Danfofiyo University, Sokoto.

Abuja, 24 March 2015 - The Federal Government has renewed its commitment towards closing tuberculosis (TB) control gap in Nigeria including ensuring that all currently diagnosed drug-resistant TB patients are put on treatment.

The Minister of Health, Dr Khaliru Al-Hassan gave this commitment at this year’s World Tuberculosis Day (WTBD) ministerial  press briefing and public lecture commemoratory event in Abuja on 24 March, 2015; with the theme “Nigeria unites against tuberculosis” and working slogan “support, reach, treat and cure everyone”.