Nigeria News

October 2016 - The polio outbreak response in Nigeria and across the Lake Chad basin is being run within the context of a broader humanitarian emergency response, as north-east Nigeria is classified within WHO as a Grade 3 emergency. But what does this actually mean?

On 11 October 2016, WHO in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health delivered emergency medical supplies to an international NGO partner for distribution to facilities in Gwoza Local Government Area (LGA). The supplies are enough to treat 20,000 people for three months.

WHO and partners are supporting the Borno State Government to respond to the humanitarian crisis in north-eastern Nigeria, where some 3.7 million people are in urgent need of essential health services. The actual numbers of people requiring life-saving help may be much higher as ongoing insecurity means many areas are still inaccessible.

Maiduguri, 18 October 2016 - The Borno state Commissioner for Health, Dr Haruna Mshelia has described the efforts of the surveillance network in reporting acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases, including those that were later confirmed as wild polio viruses (WPVs) from insurgents’ enclaves, as “exceptional display of gallantry worthy of recognition”.

Abuja, 20 October 2016 - Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire has restated the Federal Government’s resolve to continue providing effective leadership and mobilizing political and financial support by state governments in the north east to immediately stop the resurgence of the wild polio virus (WPV) circulation in areas at risk of re-infection.

Abuja, 20 October 2016 - The Governor of Taraba in the north east has directed all immunization implementers and stakeholders in the state to support government by ensuring that all migrant children and those found in border settlements are fully immunized against polio.

WHO and the Borno State Ministry of Health (SMOH) prepositioned 10 complete Interagency Diarrhoeal Disease Kits (IDDKs) in Maiduguri, Borno State. The kits will support emergency preparedness and response to diarrheal diseases and outbreaks in State.

Abuja 25th October 2016 - As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark World Polio Day, the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, reiterated Federal Government commitment to once and for all interrupt polio virus transmission in the country. The Honorable Minister said this when he addressed a press conference in Abuja to commemorate the World Polio Day.

On 27 October, WHO supported Borno State Ministry of Health to train 37 health workers as part of its scale up plan for the Hard to Reach Teams (HTR) programme in Borno State. Those trained were selected from six newly liberated Local Government Areas including Dikwa, Gwoza, Kukawa, Mafa, Munguno and Ngala.

Abuja, 04 November, 2016- Experts and partners are in Abuja to access the response by countries in the Lake Chad Basin to the wild polio virus outbreak in north east Nigeria. Since August 2016, Nigeria has recorded four wild poliovirus (WPV) cases in Gwoza, Jere and Monguno local government areas (LGAs) of Borno state, Nigeria.