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Nigeria still struggles with polio eradication
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The World Health Assembly declared the eradication of polio a public health emergency in 2011, but transmission remains endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, according to findings in a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“In Nigeria, the National Stop Transmission of Polio (N-STOP) program, under the umbrella of the Nigerian Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP), has been developed to implement innovative strategies that address the remaining polio eradication challenges in Nigeria,” researchers wrote. “One N-STOP initiative focuses on locating and vaccinated children aged <5 years in remote nomadic scattered, and border populations in Northern Nigeria, where low polio vaccination coverage likely contributed to [wild poliovirus] transmission.”
From August 2012 to April 2013, N-STOP conducted field outreach activities that counted 40,212 remote settlements, including 11.5% that were never visited.
“As of June 30, 2013, a total of 251 N-STOP officers and 1,782 ad-hoc field workers had been trained to support polio eradication and routine immunization activities in local government areas in 17 states identified by the Nigeria [Polio Emergency Operations Center] as having the highest risk for [wild poliovirus] transmission,” researchers wrote.
One of the biggest barriers to polio eradication is serving those communities in sparsely populated areas with no road access. The residents in the areas are often nomadic, resulting in temporary settlements, increasing the possibility that wild poliovirus (WPV) will spread.
During the field consensus, researchers found that 5.9% of children younger than 5 years had never received the polio vaccine.
“N-STOP will continue to respond to emerging issues related to the Nigeria polio eradication program,” researchers wrote. “In addition, N-STOP will continue to provide field work and leadership opportunities for public health professionals. After polio is eradicated, N-STOP can serve as both a model and an important source of public health leadership in Nigeria.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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