The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has confirmed that polio transmission remains active in Nigeria, with 17 cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVPV2) reported as of April 10, 2025.
Dr. Muyi Aina, Executive Director of NPHCDA, disclosed during the agency’s first quarter press conference in Abuja that the cases spanned 15 local government areas across eight states. Of the 17 cases, 12 were identified through Acute Flaccid Paralysis surveillance, while five were discovered in environmental samples, indicating continued virus circulation.
Although Nigeria was certified free of wild poliovirus (WPV) in 2020, the mutated cVPV2 has presented new challenges since 2021. Dr. Aina emphasized the urgent need to halt the spread and announced strategic changes in the vaccination campaign, including improved team selection, supervision, accountability, and public engagement.
The next round of polio vaccination begins April 26 in northern Nigeria, in coordination with Lake Chad Basin nations—Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, and Niger. Southern states will begin their campaigns on May 3.
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, recently joined his regional counterparts in N’Djamena, Chad, to launch a synchronized effort aimed at immunizing approximately 83 million children in the region.
Source: Swifteradio.com
