WHO report: Nigeria no longer has world's most polio cases

From Best Syndication:

Nigeria no longer enjoys the reputation of being the country with the highest number of polio cases in the world. India, going by a new survey, is currently occupying that position while 95 per cent of world's progress in polio fight recorded between 2008/2009 was attributed to Nigeria's success.

The details emerged from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Advisory Committee on Polio Eradication (ACPE) after its meeting last week in Geneva, Switzerland, The Guardian was told yesterday by the country's representative to the meeting and Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate.

Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only four countries in the world where polio is endemic and have never stopped transmission of the wild poliovirus.

By August 7, 2009, Nigeria had reported more polio cases than India. During the year 2009 (till July 31), India had reported 163 polio cases compared to 349 polio cases in Nigeria. In 2008, India reported 559 polio cases while Nigeria reported 789.

Pate said: "You will recall recent WHO Advisory Committee on Polio Eradication (ACPE) meeting in Geneva last week where Nigeria is no longer leading the world in number of polio cases. India has had more cases in 2009 than Nigeria, while last year, we had more than twice India's cases. Ninety-five per cent of world's progress in polio fight between 2008/2009 is attributable to Nigeria's success."

Also, the latest figures from the CountDown to Polio Eradication in Nigeria released after the last round of Supplementary Immunisation Plus Days (SIPDs) 2009 held between November 21 and 24, 2009, indicate that the country has recorded a 50.7 per cent reduction in number of polio cases in one year while 27,840,131 children were immunised during the SIPDs.

According to the group, as at August 2009, over 1.2 million Nigerian children less than one year of age were not fully vaccinated against various childhood diseases.

CountDown to polio eradication is a monthly publication by the Expert Review Committee on polio eradication (ERC) set up by the NPHCDA and its partners like the WHO, United Nation Children Education Fund (UNICEF), World Bank, Rotary International, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others in the polio fight.

The 2009 polio statistics released by CountDown showed that 383 children were paralysed by polio in 198 Local Government Areas (LGAs) from 27 states as at November 6, 2009, compared to 777 cases in 238 LGAs in 25 states over the same period in 2008.

CountDown showed that although there is evidence that many children are being reached with polio vaccinations during campaigns, the growing rate of those not vaccinated with other routine antigens may frustrate the successes so far achieved towards eradicating polio from Nigeria.

A breakdown of the 383 polio cases reported in states showed that Kano had the highest number of cases with 102, followed by Bauchi, 43; Katsina, 36; and Borno 20. Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Jigawa all have 16 cases each; while Yobe, Niger and Zamfara have 15 cases each. Ogun has 14 cases, Nassarawa and Gombe nine each; Benue and Delta have seven each; Kogi and Plateau five each while Bayelsa and Lagos have four each. Kwara, Ebonyi and Oyo all have two each and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Adamawa, Edo and Abia all have one case each.

Pate told The Guardian: "We have had another very successful round of Immunisation Plus Days (IPDs). The Kano Emir played a major role with his symbolic flag-off and by vaccinating his grandson in the palace on November 23. He expressed total support for the polio fight until our country is free of the virus."

Pate put the total number of children immunised so far at 27,840,131 but warned that the figure could be higher because more data are still being awaited from the states.

A breakdown showed that 768,242 children had been immunised so far in Abia; 758,528 in Ebonyi; 149,611 in Bayelsa; 741,233 in Delta; 740,358 in Ogun; 275,997 in Oyo; 568,348 in Adamawa; 1,422,717 in Bauchi; 519,754 in Borno; 817,233 in Gombe; 1,339,720 in Taraba, and 1,850,275 in Yobe.

Others include 665,021 children immunised in FCT Abuja; 811,649 in Benue; 1,333,794 in Kogi; 664,904 in Kwara; 1,189,760 in Nasarawa; 750,129 in Plateau; 968,865 in Jigawa; 3,054,494 in Kaduna; 4,763,131 in Kano; 1,795,321 in Katsina, and 539,904 children were immunised in Zamfara State.

The Global Immunisation Vision and Strategy targets countries to fewer than 90 per cent coverage at national level and at least 80 per cent coverage in all LGAs or districts. The global accepted indicator to measure percentage coverage is the third dose of DPT (DPT3). DPT is the vaccine for diphtheria (a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening bacterial disease caused by Corynebacterium diphtheria).

Analysis at the state level in August showed that only Akwa-Ibom State and FCT have 80 per cent of all eligible children vaccinated with DPT3 in 80 per cent of their LGAs.

According to CountDown, the North-West zone, which is the most prevalent for polio in Nigeria, had over 350,000 children not fully vaccinated with DPT3 and ranked the lowest among the zones.

Kano State accounted for 120,000 children unimunised. Kano is surrounded by Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna and Zamfara - all of which have over 60,000 children not fully vaccinated. Bauchi has the highest number of unimunised children in the North-East, like Lagos, with over 60,000 children in Southern Nigeria.