Damaturu, 10 April 2017 - The Executive Governor of Yobe state, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam has expressed gratitude to the World Health Organization (WHO) for providing technical, financial and human resources for improving the health indicators of the people of Yobe state, including displaced persons, despite the threats of insecurity.

Welcoming the WHO Country Representative (WR) Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu to the Government House in Damaturu, Alhaji Gaidam noted WHO’s role in supporting the state to maintain a polio-free status despite risk of importation as unique, critical and unparalleled. In his words, “With the support of WHO, Yobe state has interrupted the transmission of wild polio virus for the past three years. We look forward to a more robust collaboration with WHO especially in areas of capacity building for the healthcare work force and technical guidance”.  

Yobe shares extensive borders with Borno state, with daily cross-cultural activities. The state was crisis-ridden by activities of the Boko Haram insurgency which  ravaged the social fabric and destroyed health infrastructures of the northeast region, that resulted in wide immunity gaps among children.

However, with the support of WHO and other development partners, the state successfully implemented all scheduled supplemental immunization activities and no wild poliovirus transmission has been reported in the past three years from either acute flaccid paralysis surveillance  or environmental sewage samples.

The courtesy call on the Governor afforded the WR the opportunity to applaud the government and people of Yobe for maintaining polio-free status despite security challenges of the past three years, influx of IDPs from neigbouring states and population mobility. According to the WR, achievements recorded in Yobe would not have been possible without the Governor’s “exemplary leadership and commitment to the health of the people.  He noted that  “the state has done extremely well despite security challenges and risk of polio importation from neighbouring Borno state that experienced an outbreak in 2016”.

Additionally, Dr. Alemu observed that the timely release of counterpart funding for routine immunization tripartite basket fund for the second tranche demonstrated political commitment towards reducing the burden of vaccine preventable diseases and improving the general well-being of the people of Yobe state.

However, the WR implored the Governor to ensure increase in oversight functions by local government Chairmen towards achieving the ‘Abuja Commitment’ for polio eradication, as  Yobe  state remains highly vulnerable to disease outbreaks, including polio, largely due to influx of displaced populations who live in camps as IDPs or share inadequate facilities with host communities.

Highlights of the WR’s visit to Yobe include meetings with the Commissioner for Health, representatives of the UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations, as well as held a briefing session with members of the  state Polio Emergency Operations Centre and undertook a tour of the ultra-modern 200-bed capacity Yobe state University Teaching Hospital in Damaturu.  

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For more information, please contact:

Technical contact:

Dr Mary Stephen; Tel: +234 803 639 1332; Email:  stephenm [at] who.int" target="_blank"> stephenm [at] who.int
Media contacts:

Ms  Charity Warigon; Tel: +234 810 221 0093; Email: warigonc [at] who.int" target="_blank"> warigonc [at] who.int
Dr Chima Onuekwe; Tel: +234 803 535 4876 Email: onuekwec [at] who.int" target="_blank"> onuekwec [at] who.int
Below:

01 Governor of Yobe welcoming WR to Yobe Government House in Damaturu

02 The WR (with microphone)  addressing the Governor and Yobe state Executive Council