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. It will also train approximately 154,000 vaccinators and help protect up to 250,000 children from vaccine preventable diseases.

Minister Bibeau made the announcement on the margins of the Women Deliver’s 4th  Global Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference presents a unique opportunity for discussing and engaging in dialogue on matters related to women and girls, with a specific focus on health.

As recently as 2012, Nigeria was the global epicentre in the world as Nigerian poliovirus frequently spread internationally, causing outbreaks as far away as Indonesia. However, in September 2015, the World Health Organisation removed Nigeria from list of endemic countries and for over 22 months now, there has been no reported case of polio. However, on-going immunization activities are essential to forestall any re-emergence of the virus.

The funding by the Canadian government is therefore expected to contribute towards the consolidation of the polio eradication gains and strengthening of the RI system. 

The WHO Country Representative, Dr Rui Gama Vaz noted that “the funding will facilitate an increase in RI coverage, and thus assist in achieving national targets. This will undoubtedly curtail infant mortality rates as statistics show that 25% deaths in children under 5 in Nigeria are caused by vaccine preventable diseases”.

Dr. Vaz further praised the concerted effort by the government and partners, supported by some from the international development community such as the Government Canada, which have enabled Nigeria to be polio-free for over 22 months. 

With this new wave of support, WHO will continue to support the government of Nigeria to build on the successes of the polio eradication initiative towards certification, strengthening RI and assisting with polio legacy transition planning in the years to come.

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For more information, please contact:

Technical contacts:

Dr Fiona Braka; Tel: +234 703 170 5252; Email:   brakaf [at] who.int 
Mr  Yared Yehualashet; Tel: +234 803 402 0828; Email:   %20%20%20yehualashety [at] who.int ( yehualashety[at]who[dot]int )
Media contact:

Ms  Charity Warigon; Tel: +234 810 221 0093; Email:   warigonc [at] who.int 
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Below:

01. A child receiving oral polio vaccine during immunization campaign in Kano State

02. Polio vaccination team during house-to-house campaign in Zaria, Kaduna State