Gloria Meido
Health is wealth, so goes the popular saying and a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. For a citizen to contribute meaningfully to the development of his community, he must be of a good and sound health. That is he must be psychologically ready, physically fit and able to render useful service to his society.
Polio or poliomyelitis is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems or even death.
Like many other infectious diseases, polio victims tend to be some of the most vulnerable members of the population .This include the very young aged zero to five years, pregnant women and also those with immune system that are weakened by other medical conditions.
Nigeria who was the only polio-endemic country in Africa with cases reported mainly in the north, has finally won its battle over polio. The final whistle was blown on the twenty-fifth of September by the World Health Organization, WHO, made the announcement that “polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria” leaving the likes of Afghanistan and Pakistan behind.
In Nigeria, the most critical barriers of eradicating polio diseases included Management issues, the level of basic health infrastructure which limited vaccine distribution and delivery. Another challenge was maintaining the potency of live attenuated vaccines in extremely hot or remote areas.
Nevertheless, the most important step that was taken in the eradication of polio diseases was the interruption of endemic transmission of the virus which was pursued through a combination of routine immunization, supplementary immunization campaigns, and surveillance of possible outbreak and would have been impossible without the support and commitment of donors and development partners.
According to WHO, Nigeria has successfully interrupted polio transmission in the last 14months. If the records are sustained till 2017, Nigeria will be completely certified as a polio-free country. This can only be achieved if the country is without any polio case in 3years.
President Mohammadu Buhari on hearing the news broken by The Regional Director of WHO, Dr Matshidiso Moeti expressed his satisfaction and vowed to maintain the current polio status.
Three indicators however, are considered of primary importance in determining the likelihood of successful eradication maintenance. That effective interventional tool is available to interrupt transmission of the agent such as vaccine; that diagnostic tools with sufficient sensitivity be available to detect infections that can lead to transmission of the diseases, and surveillance activities most continue to rapidly detect a potential re-introduction of the virus.
According to the Executive Director UNICEF, Mr. Anthony Lake, the removal of Nigeria from the list of polio-endemic countries is a major victory for Nigeria`s children and it is a testament to the commitment and dedication of the government of Nigeria, Local leaders and frontline workers.
In addition, people must learn to live in clean environment as the polio virus usually enters the environment through the feaces of someone who is infected. Government alone cannot shoulder the responsibilities of the maintenance of the current polio status in Nigeria. It needs the involvement of all and sundry.
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