In a bid to safeguard successes recorded in 2020, Lagos State Government is set to begin Polio Outbreak Response in all 20 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas, to maintain the country’s polio-free status.
This Outbreak Response (OBR), will hold between Saturday 18 to Tuesday 22, January 2025.
The Supervising Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Abimbola Bowale, made the disclosure on Monday, during a press briefing at Alausa, Ikeja.
She warned that the entire country is vulnerable to reinfection by the wild polio-virus, especially with a recent outbreak of wild polio-virus type 1 in Malawi and Mozambique.
She recalled that the Lagos State Government commenced the year 2024 Measles and Yellow Fever Integrated vaccination campaign on October 19, 2024.
According to her, “The Integrated Supplemental Immunization Activities (SIA) campaign, was a landmark public health intervention that was aimed at addressing gaps in immunization coverage and curbing the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases in Lagos State.
“This comprehensive campaign targeted measles, yellow fever, and Human Papilloma-virus (HPV), prioritizing high-risk populations and leveraging innovative strategies to maximize impact.
“The safeguarding of the lives of Lagosians remains a priority of the Lagos State Government, and to continue to ensure that the State remains free from the burden of all Vaccine Preventable Diseases, the Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, will implement a Polio Outbreak Response in all LGAs and LCDAs in a bid to maintain the country’s polio-free status following the certification received in August 2020.”
However, the Permanent Secretary stated that the Polio Outbreak Response campaign is necessary to “prevent a setback in our laudable achievements if the virus is not properly curtailed and it is important to maintain the country’s polio-free status.”
Speaking on the campaign success recorded on Measles and Yellow Fever, she disclosed that a significant milestones materialized as 3,595,461 children were vaccinated against measles, representing 85% coverage while 20,366,405 Lagosians received the yellow fever vaccine, achieving 95% coverage, as well as 163,553 eligible persons were vaccinated against HPV.
Accordng to her, “These efforts were bolstered by large-scale social mobilization activities, which reached over 21 million people and strengthened health systems through enhanced cold chain capacity and workforce training.
She enumerated some of the challenges faced during the campaign which included, delays in funds for logistics, and vaccine supply disrupted timelines, while limited cold chain storage and logistics infrastructure posed operational constraints, among others.
However, the campaign’s achievements provided a robust framework for future integrated immunization efforts, according to the Permanent Secretary.
The campaign’s success was further bolstered by the active collaboration and support of Local Government Chairmen and their Executives.”
She pointed out, “Sadly, some states are still detecting cases and isolating another variant of polio-virus from both human and environmental sources. If we become complacent, the entire country is vulnerable to reinfection by the wild polio-virus, especially with a recent outbreak of wild polio-virus type 1 in Malawi and Mozambique.
“Therefore, every state must maintain its zero WPV status and halt the transmission of circulating variant polio-virus type 2 (cVPV2)by conducting high-quality campaigns and improving routine immunization coverage to ensure high population immunity as a deterrent against any reinfection of the wild polio-virus.”
