Nigeria Joins Global Anti-Polio Bid Targetting 63m Children.

(From Vanguard (Nigeria) - AAGM)

Byline: Sola Ogundipe, Chioma Obinna & Wole Mosadomi

"I believe Nigeria's political leaders have the power to turn this situation around. During my visit to that country I was impressed with their commitment to polio eradication. Now we have to see action, particularly in Kano, as every child must be fully vaccinated against this paralyzing disease."

-- Carol Bellamy, Executive Director, UNICEF, during a recent trip to Nigeria.

LAGOS-- NIGERIA yesterday joined the rest of the world to immunize 63 million children at risk of infection of the wild polio virus as another round of National Immunization Days (NIDs) activities kicked off nationwide. The massive immunization campaign effort aims at stemming the tide of polio outbreak spreading from Nigeria to neighbouring countries putting 15 million children at risk of infection from the wild polio virus in five countries in West and Central Africa. The campaign was launched simultaneously in Nigeria and nine other Central and West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Niger and Togo.

Currently, Nigeria is the greatest risk to global eradication of polio. Reports from across the country said the latest global eradication took off in all designated centres except in Kano, Zamfara andBauchi States where opposition has grown in recent months. It was gathered that while the drive was delayed in Bauchi, for logistics problems, it…