Nigeria News

Abuja, 23 June 2016 - Experts that periodically review Nigeria’s immunization programme have recommended a strategic programmatic shift that will entail strengthening of the routine immunization (RI) programme, closing of surveillance gaps and reduction in the intensity of supplemental immunization campaigns to be implemented in Nigeria forthwith, as the country moves towards polio certification.

Abuja, 28 June, 2016 - Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has prompted the National AIDS and STIs Control Program (NASCP) of Nigeria to quickly adapt the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 ‘treat all’ guidelines. The Minister gave the directive during a 3-day meeting in Abuja which ended on 25 June, 2016. The kernel of the adaptation aims to quickly align the country’s protocols to WHO revised standards towards the 2020 global targets.

Abuja, 11 July, 2016 - Today in Abuja, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti says Nigeria’s vision of providing primary health care (PHC) and ensuring equity in accessing health services by all Nigerians aligns perfectly with the goals of the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Abuja, 12 July 2016 - Nigeria’s Minister of Budget and Planning and his counterpart in the Ministry of Finance on 11 July, 2016 in Abuja, separately assured the visiting WHO Regional Director (RD) for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, that health remains a key priority of government.

Both ministers gave the RD their commitments towards increasing federal budgetary allocation for the health sector in 2017 in order to help the sector implement government's priority of revitalizing primary health care (PHC) and putting it at the base of health services delivery pyramid.

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.