NOW THAT NIGERIA IS POLIO FREE

Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease caused by the polio virus. it literally causes the muscles weakness and in most times results in inability of victims most especially young people to walk. For decades, Nigeria and the rest of Africa have battled this disease without and in sight. This is partly due to the expletive tendencies of our health policies in solving our health challenges. 

 

It would be fiendish and illogical if we blame government and her institutions alone for the endemic polio disease that has ravaged  our country in years and negatively swayed the future of millions of kids notably in Northern Nigeria. According to the  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Nigeria’s northern states are the last reservoir of naturally occurring wild polio virus in Africa. The states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina, are especially at high risk, mainly due to the mobile nature of the population. This means that if a person infected with the wild polio virus is on the move, the virus can easily spread, making the neighboring states extremely susceptible to potential polio outbreaks.

 

 

Immunization coverage remains low in the northern states partly due to insecurity, persistent myths about negative effects of immunization, and in part because other health issues, like malaria and HIV take priority in an already stretched health environment. The common myths surrounding vaccinations include perceptions that vaccines have several damaging and long-term side-effects which remain unknown; vaccinations can be fatal and cause sudden infant death syndrome; vaccines can lead to female sterilization, among others.

 

Now that the W.H.O has declared the continent and by extension Nigeria, free of polio, our health institutions must not renege on their efforts. Africans must get rid of our schizophrenia concerning polio. There is no religion that forbids our children from being immunized against polio virus.So its high time we do away with that baggage. 

 

The National Assembly would do Nigerians great service if it summons top Executives of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Yaba, Lagos, to brief the nation on how the institute is promoting research geared towards getting a vaccine for the corona virus. As an acclaimed African giant, we must not always wait for the west to provide western style solutions to our African styled problems. The institute's mandate is to focus on research on diseases of public health importance. If it cannot deliver on this mandate, at this crucial time of the corona virus pandemic, there is no basis why the government should continue to spend tax payers money running the institute. 

DECO SULE

decosule@gmail.com