Brazzaville, 29 August 2007 -- Nigeria – the only country known to be with endemic wild poliovirus as at March this year – registered appreciable progress in polio eradication activities in 2006.

This indication was given on Wednesday by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo.

In a report to the 57 th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa taking place in Brazzaville , Republic of Congo , Dr Sambo said: “In 2006 , Nigeria accounted for 94% of all confirmed wild poliovirus cases in the Region. However , progress continued to be registered in the remaining polio-endemic reservoir in northern Nigeria”

Dr Sambo stated that child immunization, during which additional antigens and other child survival interventions were administered together with oral polio vaccine, had resulted in increased numbers of children vaccinated in the West-African country.

“Using this innovative approach, several key States in northern Nigeria have registered more than 25% increase in the number of children vaccinated, with evidence of declining wild poliovirus transmission in the high-burden states in the country,” the Regional Director said.

Dr Sambo added that ensuring interruption of wild poliovirus in Nigeria and in re-infected areas outside Nigeria as a result of importation remained challenges which call for innovative and effective control strategies.

“It will be crucial to overcome the challenges of community acceptance and participation as well as the service delivery problems associated with suboptimal health systems” he said.

According to Dr Sambo, polio eradication efforts in the region face an acute funding gap – an overall regional shortfall of US$123 million, including Nigeria’s estimated funding gap of US$94 million.

He stated that some concrete steps needed to address the remaining challenges of the polio eradication initiative in the African Region included:

• interruption of endemic wild poliovirus transmission in northern Nigeria
• ensuring timely and effective control of outbreaks
• achieving sustainable high oral polio vaccine coverage
• Achieving and maintaining high polio immunization coverage as well as maintaining certification – standard Acute Flaccid Paralysis surveillance, and
• advocacy and resource mobilization.

For more information contact:

Technical contact

Dr Deo Nshimirimana

Tel: + 47 241 39203

Email Deo Nshimirimanad [at] afro.who.int

Media Contact

Samuel T. Ajibola

Tel: + 47 241 39378

Email: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int