State in Nigeria records 42 cases of polio in 6 months

From The Daily Triumph in Nigeria:

Forty-two cases of polio were recorded in Bauchi State between January and June, according to the state Health Commissioner, Alhaji Samaila Tela.

Samaila disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),in Bauchi.

''It is unfortunate that while the state government is making frantic efforts to stamp out the disease, an outbreak of 42 new cases has been reported between January and June this year alone,’’ Tela said.

He said that of the 42 cases, 41 were the new type III polio, while the last was the type one, the wildest type of polio.

The commissioner said the type III case was recorded in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, which was hitherto free of polio.

He said that efforts were being made to reduce the outbreak through improved routine immunisation.

''In 2007, we covered 700,000 children per round of routine immunisation, but now we cover over 1.5 million children.

''That means that we have improved our coverage from 10 per cent in 2007 to 60 per cent,’’ Tela said.

According to him, the state government’s target is 80 per cent coverage.

Samaila stressed the need to intensify the nation-wide immunisation against polio, stressing that no part of the country should be neglected.