Nigeria News

Abuja, 24 April 2015 – With the theme ‘Vaccination, a gift for life’ the importance of vaccines as one of the greatest human advance in history was emphasized by the WHO Country Representative, Dr Rui Gama Vaz at a press conference held yesterday in Abuja to herald the African Vaccination Week (AVW) in Nigeria which had the presence of the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care (NPHCDA) and partners.

Zaria, Kaduna 27 April 2015 - As part of efforts to adequately  respond to the recent isolation of circulating vaccine derived polio virus (cVDPV) from the environment in Zaria, Kaduna state, WHO and other Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners have solicited  the support of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Zaria, Dr Shehu Idris to mobilize communities for the upcoming targeted polio campaign of combined inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) scheduled for 27 April – 2 May, 2015.

Abuja, 30 April 2015 - The Government of Japan has  extended a USD 620,000 grant to the World Health Organization in March 2015 to support a project for Ebola virus disease (EVD) preparedness and response in 10 high risk states in Nigeria.

In November 2014, the Government of Japan pledged to provide an additional package of USD 100 million with a view to rebuilding the health system of the affected countries and stabilizing the societies of those countries being ravaged by the Ebola disease. 

Abuja, 30 April 2015 - This year, Nigeria commemorated the World Malaria Day (WMD) in a week-long celebration which included a Town Hall meeting with communities on malaria best practices, rallies, advocacy to churches and mosques as well as wide range of media activities to create awareness on the malaria elimination programme; centered around the theme for the 2015 WMD ‘’Invest in the future; Defeat Malaria’’.

Abuja, 05 May 2015 - Due to the insurgency that has affected parts of Nigeria; with the attendant humanitarian crisis threatening  huge numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPS) from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Bauchi States, the WHO Regional Director for the African Region Dr Matshidiso Moeti on 07 April 2015 signed a declaration of Nigeria as an “Internal grade 2 Emergency”.

Abuja, 07 May 2015 - A joint high-level preparatory meeting between the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and the World Health Organization Country Office (WCO) in Nigeria was convened on 05 May, 2015 in Abuja to ensure active and fruitful participation by the Nigerian delegation to the Sixty-Eighth session of the World Health Assembly which opens in Geneva on 18 May, 2015.

The meeting had the presence of the Minister of State for Health, the Permanent Secretary, the Directors of the FMOH, the 34 members of the Nigerian delegation and WCO staff.

Port Harcourt, Rivers 11 May 2015 - The reinforced partnership with private health facilities in Rivers State is beginning to yield unprecedented results as recent exit interviews indicate that 92%  of caregivers were satisfied with routine immunization services despite the lingering industrial action embarked upon by public health workers of Rivers State. As at the end of March 2015, the state’s routine immunization (RI) coverage stands at 58% for Penta 3 which is on course to attaining the national target of 80% by end of the year.

Abuja, 12 May 2015- The World Health Organization Country Representative (WR), Dr Rui Gama Vaz has advised the government of Nigeria to consider sustainable funding options for immunization that promote equity and ensure the poor are not disproportionately burdened.

He gave the advice in his speech at a media roundtable in Abuja on 12 May, 2015, organized by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to deliberate on the vaccine financing as part of events to seal  the 2015 Africa Vaccination Week.

Abuja, 19 May 2015 - Nigeria has made significant progress towards the interruption of polio viruses with no confirmed case in 2015 and nine months have elapsed since the last case of wild poliovirus (WPV) was confirmed. Similarly, the latest confirmed circulating vaccine derived polio virus (cVDPV) was isolated six months ago.

However, this gain is threatened by cVDPV in the environment of Kamacha River in Zaria of Kaduna state in March 2015 and in Sokoto South Local Government Area (LGA) in Sokoto state in 2014.

Abuja, 25 May 2015- The Commissioners for Health in Imo and Kaduna States have extolled the partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nigeria during the first quarter meetings of the Immunization, Vaccines and Emergencies (IVE) cluster in the Southern and Northern zones, conducted from 18 - 23 May, 2015.