Lagos, 20 June 2019 - The Deputy Governor of Lagos state, His Excellency Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat assures that “All hands are on deck to end polio in Lagos soon”.

During a courtesy visit by a team of health development partners, led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA)  in his office on 18 June 2019, the Deputy Governor assured that the state will leave no stone unturned until it stops  the current circulation of polio virus on the state.

Dr Hamzat emphasized that “the goal of polio eradication must be achieved in the interest of all children”. 

To achieve the overarching objective, the Deputy Governor said, all Chairmen of the 57 local community development areas (LCDAs) will be brought on board and enlightened to mobilize their communities for unrestricted access to immunization and other primary health care (PHC) services. 

Seven circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) isolates have been confirmed in Lagos (Nigeria’s most populous State)over the past five months . The viruses were isolated from three environmental sample collection sites between December 2018 and May 2019 in Lagos Mainland, Mushin, and Ajeromi Local Government Areas (LGAs). The State, which is located in the South West qeo-political zone, also shares an international border with Benin Republic.

Given cross-border population movements, subnational immunity and surveillance gaps, Lagos State is considered at high-risk for further transmission of the isolated cVDPV2.

Speaking further during the courtesy visit, the Deputy Governor pledged that the  administration will  make vaccination mandatory, especially in primary schools, Churches, gated streets and estates, members of community development associations (CDAs), adding that  landlords will also be compelled to allow easy access for vaccination activities. He urged all parents and caregivers of eligible children to cooperate with the state government in its efforts at completely eradicating polio from the state.

Earlier in his opening remarks, leader of the delegation, Dr. Usman Adamu the Incident Manager of National Polio Emergency Centre, briefed the Deputy Governor on the extent of the outbreak and efforts being made to curb the spread. He further highlighted the interventions provided so far to contain the outbreak. 

The interventions included detailed investigation of the outbreak and response vaccinations. The initial outbreak response vaccination was done in seven wards of Lagos Mainland and Mushin LGAs, which drain directly into the canals. This was followed by two more response campaigns in all 20 LGAs of the State using monovalent oral polio vaccine (mOPV2). 

However, Dr Usman noted  major challenges to the response vaccinations which include the absence of a State Task Force on Immunization to perform oversight functions, lack of  counterpart funding, Local Government Areas (LGAs) chairmen do not attend daily evening review meetings during the implementation of the outbreak response, and vaccine hesitancy  (especially in gated estates, big churches, and private schools).

 He stressed that oversight functions are especially required from the State Government to completely stop the spread of the virus as enshrined in the “Abuja Commitments” signed on 02 February 2009 following a meeting with His ExcellencyThe President of Nigeria with the Nigerian Governors' Forum, in the presence of Mr. Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the Chair, Dangote Foundation.

One of the indicators of the “Abuja Commitments”is the personal involvement of state governors in support of polio eradication and routine immunization such as active supervision of campaigns and routine immunization activities.

Also present at the meeting were Lagos State Permanent Secretaries for Primary Health Care Board, Ministry of Health and that of the deputy Governor’s office - Dr. Tayo Lawal Dr. Titilayo Goncalves and Mrs Yetunde Odejayi respectively. Others included WHO Nigeria’s Team Leader for Immunization, Dr. Fiona Braka, and leaders of health development partners such as UNICEF, AFENET-CDC, Rotary International and Core Group.