26 August 2016 - As the preparations for the August outbreak response (OBR) to the detection of two (2) wild polio viruses in Borno State intensify, the five (5) implementing states of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe, in collaboration WHO and other partners have commenced the implementation of strategic activities to ensure quality campaign and increased access to children in trapped and susceptible populations living in the region.

According to Dr Haruna Mshelia the Borno State Commissioner for Health,  “this round of campaign is too critical for us to treat it with levity. We must ensure the implementation of the highest quality of activities to increase community awareness and access to all eligible children not only in Borno state but in all implementing states in the zone if we are to break this vicious chain of poliovirus transmission”.

Dr Mshelia lamented that “while it unfortunate that Borno state detected two wild polio viruses after the Nigeria has been polio free for two years, we don’t feel defeated. The only option available to us now is to deal a deadly blow to the virus through the implementation of out-of-the-box strategies like the expanded engagement of the Civilian Joint Taskforce that we have just started”.

Strategic Partnerships to access children in insecure areas

The expanded engagement of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a youth vigilante group and traditional leaders form part of the key activities being implemented by Borno to ensure the highest immunization coverage is achieved in the state.

Dr Mahmud Saidu, the WHO State Coordinator (SC) in Borno posited that, “the significance of the partnership with the CJTF is to increase access to susceptible populations living in areas designated as inaccessible to our regular teams operating in Mafa, Konduga, Monguno, Gubio, Magumeri, Kukawa, Bama and many others”.

The role of the CJTF as explained by the Executive Director, Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ES-BSPHCDA), Dr Sule Meleh,  is to provide security cover for teams operating in security compromised areas and to serve as vaccinators in designated inaccessible areas that regular teams have had difficulty accessing.

Speaking on the role of the CJTF in the polio programme, the State Chairman of the CJTF Lawan Jafar, described the partnership as timely and strategic for the programme. Regarding how the CJTF plans to cover inaccessible settlements, Mr Jafar said “we have security tactics that we can bring to bear to assist our people reach inaccessible areas to vaccinate children. While we will not take unnecessary risks that will compromise the safety of our members or jeopardize the programme, we will reach most of the inaccessible communities we identified and shared with government”.

Meanwhile in Gombe, the state PHCDA has sent letters to all security agencies in the state, Save the Children, Pediatrics Association of Nigeria, FOMWAN, and media organizations in preparation for the OBR. Meetings have also been held with all security agencies to seek their support especially on setting up of vaccination posts at in all major check points on the highways.

On the  level of community awareness and sensitization for the OBR in Gombe, Dr Ahmed Gana the ES, SPHCDA stated that advocacies have also been paid to the Mai Kaltungo and the other 14 Emirs and Chiefs, Council Chairmen and line ministries. “As at now, announcements and jingles have commenced in earnest in state and federal media outlets. I think the state is fully prepared for the OBR and we hope to achieve the highest quality campaign”.

Micro planning and capacity building

In all the implementing states, trainings for all cadres of vaccination teams have been completed. Equally, micro planning activities have been concluded. A total of 34,963 settlements are expected to be covered across the five (5) states with over 5.5 million children targeted for vaccination.

In Yobe State alone, 8,180 settlements are to be visited by vaccination teams with 973,385 eligible children targeted for vaccination. Commenting on the level of preparations in the state, the WHO State Coordinator (SC) Dr Jibrin Alkassum said maps of accessible and partially inaccessible settlements have been updated. He stated that “while there is no LGA that is totally inaccessible, there are five (5) LGAs, namely Damaturu, Geidam, Gujba, Gulani and Yunusari with 409 settlements with target population of 19,995 that are partially inaccessible”. He added that WHO is working with traditional leaders and security personnel to reach these settlements.

Cross-border planning activities

On preparation for cross border immunisation, Borno state has finalized, inter-state border meetings with Gombe and Yobe states while similar synchronization meetings have also been held with Niger Republic with Nguru and Geidam LGAs in Yobe state. Dr Mohammad Bello Kawuwa, Commissioner for Health in Yobe state revealed that international cross border meeting with Niger Republic has been done and the State Task Force on Immunisation chaired by the Deputy Governor has met to discuss on the modalities for the campaign.

In a related development Taraba State has also held an international border synchronization meeting with Cameroun Republic in preparations for the OBR. Furthermore ,a special plan for tracking of nomads and for covering security compromised LGAs such as Wukari, Gassol, Ibi, Donga, Lau and Karim Lamido have also been developed in partnership with the state.

According to the WHO SC Faruq Ismail in Taraba, a special meeting with traditional leaders from 16 high risk wards have also been held. A key outcome of the border synchronization meeting was the intensification of surveillance in the border settlements as well as ensuring that all children along the borders are immunized with adequate participation of traditional leaders.

It could be recalled that until a few weeks ago when two cases of wild polio virus were isolated in Borno, Nigeria was polio free for two years. The protocol for OBR is for countries to implement immediate immunisation within 14 days in the areas where the cases are located, and followed up with 3 or more rounds of immunisation campaigns in the host and neighbouring states including border areas.

___________________________________________

For more information, please contact:

Technical contacts:

Dr Fiona Braka; Tel: +234 703 170 5252; Email: brakaf [at] who.int 

Dr Ticha Johnson; Tel: +234 816 347 5205; Email: tichaj [at] who.int   

Media contacts:

Kulchumi Hammanyero; Tel: +234 803 632 7360; Email:%20%20%20hammanyerok [at] who.int ( hammanyerok[at]who[dot]int )
Mustapha Umar Maiiyali; Tel: +234 803 616 9972; Email: %20%20%20umarm [at] who.int ( umarm[at]who[dot]int )
________________________________________

01 A cross section of Civilian Joint Task Force participants popularly known as civilian JTF at a training for polio OBR Campaign in Maiduguri, Borno state

02 Sensitisation meeting with community members at the District head’s palace, Gwoza LGA  in Borno state