FG DIRECTS NIGERIANS GOING TO INDIA TO TAKE ORAL POLIO VACCINE

The Mnister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu has directed that any Nigeria visiting India should take Oral Polio Vaccine six weeks prior to their arrival in India.
Similarly, any Indian travelling to the polio endemic/polio outbreak countries will be vaccinated against polio virus six weeks before leaving India.
This directive was at the instance of the World Health Organization’s (WHO), advice to polio endemic countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Israel, Ethiopia, Somalia, Afghanistan and Pakistan to have evidence of taking Oral Polio Vaccine at least, six weeks prior to entry to India.
A statement by the chief press secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Alhaji Isiaka Yusuf, said this advice was binding on all members of the World Health Assembly, of which Nigeria is a member.
It should be noted that Nigerian government, through National primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, has made tremendous progress in 2013 towards achieving interruption of polio virus transmission by end of 2014.
It is also pertinent to stress that the number of wild polio virus cases in 2013 has reduced immensely by 56 per cent when compared with the same period in 2012.
To sustain this encouraging achievement, Chukwu stressed that Nigerian government would continue to enhance its surveillance and social health education, information and communication activities to ensure complete interruption of this deadly disease in the country.
Source: Leadership