The Nigerian National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Sunday confirmed 32 cases of cerebrospinal meningitis in which 4 people died.
Meanwhile, Nigeria is still with the highest number of Wild Polio Virus (WPV) cases in 2013, recording three so far, compared to two in Pakistan and one in Afghanistan.
These revelations came as some Islamic scholars called for urgent action to complete efforts at eradicating polio in Muslim communities.
They spoke as the Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunisation (ERC) set up by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) plans to meet from March 19 to 20 to address the challenges in anti-polio crusade in Nigeria.
In 2012, Nigeria recorded a total of 122 polio cases compared to 58 in Pakistan and 37 in Afghanistan. Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only three countries that have not been able to stop the transmission of the WPV.
According to the latest edition of Weekly Polio Update published yesterday by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), one new Type One WPV (WPV1) case was reported in the past week from Yobe State, bringing to three the total number of WPV cases recorded so far in Nigeria in 2013. The total number of WPV cases for 2012 remains 122.
The GPEI report reads: “No new cases of circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus type two (cVDPV2) were reported in the past week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases for 2012 remains eight. The most recent cVDPV2 case had onset of paralysis on November 24, 2012 from Kebbi State.
“Nationwide Immunisation Plus Days (IPDs) were conducted using trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) on March 2 to 5, 2013, in 30 states, co-ordinated with activities in neighbouring Republic of Niger.
IPDs have been postponed by one week in four southern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) because of the need for more time to adequately prepare for the round of immunisation.
IPDs have been postponed in Kano and Borno states due to security concerns. The security situation in the North remains fluid.”
The Islamic scholars, including the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Egypt, Doctor Ahmad Al Tayyeb, have called for protection of Muslim children against poliovirus transmission by ensuring they receive the required vaccine.
Tayyeb, at a meeting of Muslim scholars from several countries, including Nigeria, held in Cairo, Egypt, warned that “Crippled children lead to a crippled Muslim Ummah.”
He stressed the importance of increasing the awareness of the correct Islamic teachings on the matter to combat all deformed and false beliefs.
According to him, Al-Azhar is ready to continue to exert all efforts to enlighten Muslim individuals and communities about the rights of children to be protected against polio and all other diseases and the obligation of all Muslims to ensure that their children are protected.
Al Jazeera reported at the weekend that “people in the town of Jabo, Sokoto, have never seen anything like the past two weeks. They have just buried 60 people.
The cause of the latest outbreak is unknown and health workers have treated people based on the symptoms they have shown. The government says medical teams have been deployed to carry out immunisation and education programmes as more epidemics are expected.”
But Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Ado Gana Mohammed, told The Guardian yesterday that a team has been sent out to Sokoto to carry out case investigation, which will determine the serotype of the cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) and the type of vaccine to be deployed.
Mohammed said: “I can confirm to you that 32 persons were infected and four deaths recorded, and a team is carrying out investigation now. We are investigating the cases because there are different types of serotype of CSM. If you go in with the wrong vaccine it will not work.”
Nguardian
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