Nigeria News

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”.

Abuja, 14 April 2015 - The World Health Organization state office in Sokoto has supported government to immunize 81,761 (89%) people aged 2-30yrs against cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM), out of the 91, 857 targeted in Shagari, Tangaza and Gudu; the three affected local government areas (LGAs) in the state.

Abuja, 20 April 2015 - The Minister of State for Health, Mr. Fidelis Nwankwo has debunked the rumors of unidentified disease outbreak which is attributed to 19 deaths since 15th April 2015, out of 24 reported cases. He further provided insights on the causes of illness and sudden deaths in two communities of Irele, Local Government Area (LGA) in Ondo State of Nigeria.

Ibadan, Oyo 23 April, 2015-The World Health Organization (WHO) State coordinator (SC) in Oyo, Dr Ada Erinne is confident that Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials donated by WHO to the State Ministry of Health (SMOH) will bolster integrated disease detection and reporting as well as facilitate the attainment of certification standard acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance.

In the latest determination to achieve this, tertiary and secondary institutions are the focus for strengthening surveillance performance.