KANO AND THE POLIO CHALLENGE
The states should intensify routine immunisation of children
For the health sector in Nigeria, nothing can be more distressing than the confirmation by the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board of four new variants of the polio virus. Since a threat of the disease in any state is a threat to all children, routine immunisation must be intensified while we enjoin health officials in all parts of the country to do more to improve their coverage level.
In August 2020, Nigerians celebrated the eradication of wild polio virus, a crippling disease that had for decades devastated many families in our country. But in a notable setback, cases of the highly contagious disease have been confirmed recently in both Jigawa and Kano States. Besides, there is another challenge: the emergence of a variant strain named the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2. This strain, which can mutate from the oral polio vaccine (OPV), poses a serious threat to children particularly in areas where immunisation coverage remains low.
Polio is an infectious disease caused by a virus which invades the nervous system and often causes irreversible paralysis. It can strike at any age but mainly affects children under five. There is no cure for polio as it can only be prevented through vaccination. Yet, as long as a single child remains infected with polio, unvaccinated children all over the world are at risk. In 2012, Nigeria had accounted for more than half of all global polio cases. But the country made significant progress, thanks to the concerted efforts from all levels of government, international organisations, civil society, religious and traditional leaders as well as tens of thousands of dedicated health workers to contain the disease. We must recreate that collaboration between and among all stakeholders to tackle the current threat.
Earlier in the year, health authorities from Lake Chad Basin countries of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, and the Central African Republic (CAR) launched a regional polio vaccination campaign aimed at immunising over 83 million children under the age of five. The five-day campaign in the conflict-ridden Chad Basin, a critical area in the fight against polio, is targeted at high-risk and mobile populations in border areas, and to strengthen efforts towards containing the spread of the type 2 variant. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the initiative is crucial in the fight against the variant which continues to pose a threat to millions of children across the region. Indeed, the variant has been detected both in wastewater samples and among affected individuals in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger in the past 18 months with reported cases of paralysis.
The need for a coordinated regional action is further highlighted by the fact that over 50 per cent of the polio cases reported in Chad in 2024 were linked to the strain circulating in Cameroon. Thankfully, to ensure the new strain is contained, a campaign has also been flagged off in many high-risk northern states in Nigeria where the disease is predominant. For instance, authorities in Kano State have called on parents and guardians to allow their children to be vaccinated to prevent the affliction. The state has accounted for several of the cases of the variant two strain recorded in Nigeria between 2023 and now.
The resurgence of polio virus is an indication that the battle is not yet won. But we commend the Lake Chad Basin initiative which aligns with the Africa Regional Polio Eradication Action Plan and the Polio Eradication Cross-Border Coordination Plan 2024–2025. It underscored the region’s united commitment to protecting every child. However, state governors must take the lead in tackling the challenge.
