Nigeria News

Kaduna, 29 May 2016 - Traditional leaders in northern Nigeria have once more taken up the task to optimize resources at their disposal to fast-track the delivery of primary health care (PHC) services under-one-roof model as well as reinforce community trust and create demand for immunization through the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on PHC (NTLC). The position of the Royal Fathers was articulated in the speech of Alhaji Kyari Ibn Umar El-Kanemi, Chairman of NTLC and Emir of Bama, during the first quarter review meeting held in Kaduna on 24 May, 2016.

Maiduguri, 24 May 2015 - The abduction of the Chibok school girls of Borno State in April 2014 brought the erstwhile quiet community into international limelight while at the same time creating a major health deficit in the lives of the people. The attack left the community ransacked, with all of the 18 health facilities in the Local Government Area (LGA) devastated and incapable of providing the most basic healthcare services. Health workers abandoned their posts for fear of attacks, lack of access into and out of the community and the absence of any dependable security network.

Abuja, 16 May, 2016 – Today, the Government of Canada, through the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, announced a contribution of $19.9 million towards the eradication of polio in Nigeria. The grant, which will be implemented during the period 2016/17 – 2020 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is expected to sustain the polio eradication gains through strengthened routine immunization (RI). The project will help immunize approximately 6.6 million girls and 6.9 million boys against polio in 11 high risk Nigerian states.

Abuja, 10 May 2016 - Having interrupted the transmission of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2015 and put in place measures to further improve and sustain certification standard surveillance; Nigeria has now embarked on efforts towards ensuring adequate documentation of surveillance and immunization activities towards certification.

Abuja, 09 May 2016 - The African Vaccination Week (AVW) ended in Nigeria with World Health Organization (WHO) calling on the Federal and State Governments to improve immunization and surveillance activities in conflict affected areas of the North East and at international borders. This call was made by the WHO Country Representative (WR) Dr Rui Gama Vaz at the official launch of the AVW in Abuja.

Port Harcourt, 28 April 2016 - The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative (WR), Dr Rui Gama Vaz is in Rivers state to meet with His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike and engage the political leadership in strengthening health systems and for the attainment of   the Organization’s reform agenda.

Abuja, 25 April 2016 - Given the dire need for quality and sustainable health care in the IDP camps and hosting communities for children under five years, the Federal and State Ministries of Health, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA) and partners including the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed to build capacity of community resource persons living in the IDPs camps and host communities, with the support from USAID/Nigeria grant. 

Abuja, 22 April 2016 - Nigeria has successfully conducted the ‘switch’ from using trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) to bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) in the routine immunization programme. The switch is pursuant to the end game strategy following the global certification of eradication of Type 2 polio virus in 2015.

Abuja, 20 April 2016 - Indications are rife that the immunity gaps identified in 70 local government areas (LGAs) located in 11 southern states of Nigeria will soon be reduced. The optimism follows the implementation of Short Interval Additional Doses (SIAD) strategy in the affected states which culminated in the vaccination of over six (6) million children with the last batch of trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) on the eve of the global switch to bivalent OPV.