Nigeria News

In Kaduna State, Town Hall meetings are opening a new frontier for addressing community compliance in the polio eradication programme and ensuring community ownership of immunization. The meetings, which started in June 2005, have been conducted in the 15 very high risk local government areas (LGA). In Kaduna North LGA, data is showing a consistent drop in the number of non-compliance cases from 5,357 in the August 2005 round, to 1,312 in the March 2006 round.

24 July 2006 - Alhaji Sayyadi Abubakar Mahmood, the 75-year old Emir of Ringim, is leading by example in Jigawa State, monitoring immunization activities in over 60 villages and hamlets at personal cost, to ensure that all eligible children are given oral polio drops during each round of polio campaigns.

24 July 2006 -- The rough road connecting them speaks of the challenges both local government areas (LGA) have faced in the race to rid Benue State of the wild polio virus (WPV), but Agatu LGA appears to have put the worst behind her, with no reported case since 2003.

24 July 2006 -- Sardauna Local Government Area (LGA), home of the Mambilla Plateau – famous for its unique settlers, steep inclines, lush vegetation and temperate weather, is one of the five hardest to reach areas in Taraba, a state which despite its geography, appears set to declare victory in the task of eradicating poliomyelitis from Nigeria. Since July 2005, the state has not had a confirmed case of the wild polio virus, in spite of that year’s tally of 133 acute flaccid paralysis cases, and 25 cases as at June 9, 2006.

24 July 2006 -- The faint mark on the wall showing that no child in the house was eligible for polio vaccination was misleading. Idris Mohammed , motorcycle mechanic and head of this household in Kofar Kudu Quarters of Jama’are, headquarters of the local government area (LGA) of the same name, confessed that his two wives used to drive away vaccinators, based on his instructions.

Abuja , 7 November 2006 -- A new World Health Organization (WHO) Representative has arrived in Abuja, Nigeria. He is Dr. Peter Eriki, immediate past WHO Representative in Kenya. He replaces Dr. Mohammed Belhocine, who has been reassigned from the country, after three years of service.

17 January 2007 - On November 12, 2006, District Head of Nahuche (Kekun Nahuche), witnessed the ward training of vaccination teams and participated in a mobilization training for ward heads and traditional birth attendants for the November Immunization Plus Days (IPDs). He was fully involved in the re-orientation of members of the Save Mothers and Children (SMAC), an NGO he presides over. At the end of the meetings, he personally served food to his visitors.

17 January 2007 - Two hours after the engine of his canoe failed on River Niger on October 3, 2006, Daniel Chibogwu Umeh, Anambra State epidemiologist was tired but not ready to give up on his determination to contribute his quota to halting the transmission of the wild polio virus (WPV) in Nigeria. He walked into his makeshift accommodation in Nzam, headquarters of Anambra West Local Government Area, where he stayed back to coordinate the Integrated Measles Campaign in the area.

17 January 2007 - At 96, Alhaji Mohammed Indene Abdullahi, continues to work hard as District Head of 60 communities and Chairman of the Village Health Committee (VHC) in Mada Central, Akwanga Local Government Area, Nasarawa State. He goes house to house to promote greater access to routine immunization (RI) services by his people.

23 April 2007 - On November 3, 1997, Ron Van Den Berg, promised during a flag-off ceremony at the Obio Health Centre, that Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) where he was then Managing Director, would continue to support National Immunization Days (NIDs). The company has not looked back since then, spending over $1 million to date in support of immunization activities and the polio eradication initiative.