Zaria, Kaduna 27 April 2015 - As part of efforts to adequately  respond to the recent isolation of circulating vaccine derived polio virus (cVDPV) from the environment in Zaria, Kaduna state, WHO and other Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners have solicited  the support of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Zaria, Dr Shehu Idris to mobilize communities for the upcoming targeted polio campaign of combined inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) scheduled for 27 April – 2 May, 2015.

Nigeria, the only remaining polio endemic country in Africa, has for the first time in polio eradication history, not confirmed any wild poliovirus in the past nine months. Similarly, there has been no confirmed cVDPV in humans for over five months running. The virus isolated from the environment on 04 March 2015 is the only cVDPV to be detected in sewage samples and poses a risk of re-infecting humans if circulation is not rapidly halted.

To enhance population immunity and in quick response to the virus isolated, the Government of Nigeria already conducted a nationwide tOPV campaign from 14 – 17 March 2015. To further boost population immunity and aggressively tackle the cVDPV, the government will administer IPV in addition to tOPV in targeted LGAs in Kaduna and Sokoto States.

Dr Pascal Mkanda, the Immunization, Vaccines and Emergencies’ Cluster Lead in WHO-Nigeria on 25 April 2015 led personnel from WHO, UNICEF and CDC N-STOP with state officials on an advocacy visit to the Emir of Zaria at his palace and informed him that the GPEI partners are supporting the government to further boost the immunity of children as both the oral and inactivated polio vaccines would be simultaneously administered to the  eligible age cohort in targeted LGAs during the  National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs).

He explained that the combined intervention became necessary due to the fact that Kamacha Tudu Bridge site which as an environmental poliovirus surveillance site started functioning in June 2014 had by end of the year, isolated eight out of 11 VDPVs in Kaduna. In 2015, the site accounts for the only cVDPV reported in Nigeria.

Dr Mkanda acknowledged that the programme in Nigeria has enjoyed concerted support from all cadres of the traditional hierarchy, adding that “as WHO, we will continue to count on your blessings and wise counsel not only on immunization but wider public health concerns in order to better support the government”. He also cited the tremendous role the Emir played in supporting the scaling up of local interventions such as youth engagement and direct observed polio vaccination (DOPV) in Kaduna state in 2014 which remarkably contributed towards the progress in polio eradication in the country.

Ruefully, he informed the Emir that despite all the efforts and innovations implemented with the active involvement of the traditional institution, residual operational challenges that threaten interruption of polioviruses transmission remain. He, therefore, solicited the intervention of the Emir to achieve the highest quality of immunization in the forthcoming campaign especially in Zaria and Sabongari Local Government Areas (LGAs).

In his response, the Emir who is also  the Chairman of the Northern Traditional Ruler’s Council for polio eradication in Kaduna State hinted that, all traditional rulers in the Emirate council have been instructed to work closely with immunization personnel to ensure that the quality of the April immunization round is not compromised. He assured the visiting team that the communities will accept the scheduled combined vaccination activity.

The Emir who is obviously rankled by the persistent isolation of cVDPV from the environment in his domain informed the delegation that as custodians of society, the traditional leaders will rise to address the identified challenges by supporting all the efforts put in place to track and stop every chain of cVDPV transmission.

“From this end, we are implementing a comprehensive strategy to address the scourge of cVDPV. Already, the Emirate has solicited the support of government, as matter of urgency, to  clear/dredge the Kamacha River  (site of the environmental positive sample) and its tributaries  not only because of nurturing  the cVDPV, but also the health hazards posed to the citizenry” Dr Idris assured.

Increased oversight by the traditional institutions is among the top strategic priorities of the national polio programme to sustain the remarkable gains made in 2014. The relevance of the Zaria Emirate council cannot be over emphasized as it is recognized among the oldest, populous and most influential kingdoms in Northern Nigeria.

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For more information, please contact:

Technical contacts:

Dr Pascal Mkanda; Tel: +234 803 402 2140; Email: mkandap [at] who.int
Dr Audu Idowu; Tel: +234 803 700 5376 ; Email: musaau [at] who.int
Media contact:

Ms Charity Warigon; Tel: +234 810 221 0093; Email: warigonc [at] who.int