An Unending Disease – By Arnold A. Alalibo

Posted by admin Arnold Alalibo, Articles, Columnists, NNP Columnists Monday, September 5th, 2016

By Arnold A. Alalibo | NNP | Sept. 5, 2016 – Despite efforts by the Federal Government and stakeholders to end the polio virus that has plagued the country for a long time and get Nigeria free of it, the disease re-emerged with a confirmation that Borno State, precisely Gwoza and Jere Local Government Councils were afflicted with new cases recently. Two incidents of wild polio virus were reported by both the World Health Organization, WHO, and the Federal Ministry of Health.

In its characteristic manner of doing things, the development has compelled the Federal Government to announce a review of its response plan to the eradication of the virus. But whether such plan will be sustainable or not is a different issue. Soon after the outbreak of the disease, the Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, hurriedly announced five rounds of polio campaigns. According to him, three will be focused on the 19 northern states while the remainder will be conducted nationwide. But what the erudite professor did not tell the nation is whether funds allocated to the project will be enough for its realisation.

Much as the government’s approach to the outbreak of the disease may be reassuring, what I consider to be good news is the direct involvement of WHO, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in the onslaught against the child-killer disease. These international agencies are worthy partners in the fight against the disease.

While immunisation in the affected areas commences as planned, the question to ask is, what is the government doing about the security of the health workers to be involved in the exercise given the precarious security situation in the area? Because of the volatility of the North East where Borno State is situated and the low literacy level of the people, security ought to be provided for everyone that will be used for the immunisation. All necessary steps must be taken to ensure their safety.

The outbreak of the polio virus indicates that children in that region are at high risk of contracting it. Therefore, the ongoing immunisation can only be successful in my estimation when every child is given the polio vaccination. I urge the global agencies to rise quickly to the challenge and contain the new polio outbreak with no room for complacency.
Beyond administering the immunisation in the affected areas, it is important to extend the polio vaccination to every Nigerian child. This may be done as a long term solution to the problem. Every national, state and local effort should be mobilised to achieve the goal. Parents have the responsibility to ensure that their children are immunised. Similarly, the authorities must guarantee that the immunization is available in all health institutions at all time and it is done free to accomplish its wholesomeness.
Traditional rulers, religious leaders, non-governmental organisations, NGOs, and all stakeholders are not left out of this national emergency. They have to join in efforts to eradicate the disease. They can do this better by asking their members to produce their children or wards for immunisation.

Of course, an assignment of this nature cannot be done successfully without first embarking on mass enlightenment campaigns for the sensitisation of Nigerians. Such mobilisation is needed to eliminate suspicions by ethnic groups or religious movements. Those who will be assigned this role must utilise major languages of the country for easy comprehension of the messages.

The recent polio outbreak in Nigeria is a public health hazard not only for Nigeria but also for all the countries in the Lake Chad Basin region. That is why the other countries in the region which include Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Central Africa Republic must fully implement a coordinated response to outbreaks to prevent its spread to other countries.
The member-states should see the need to extend support to the response by including political advocacy and community engagement at all levels. This will lead to a successful coordination and implementation of harmonized polio vaccination activities across the countries of the Lake Chad sub-region.
Also, given the challenging security situation in the region, the Lake Chad Basin members should seek the support of the multi-national military taskforce to provide adequate security, safety and facilitation for the vaccination process. The provision of political, financial and technical support for the regional emergency response is expedient to the eradication of the disease.wp_posts