FGs effort in eradicating polio

It is obvious that a child is a gift from God who should be nurtured to adulthood and this can be done when the child gets required medical attention like taking complete doses of vaccines which serves as preventive measures against deadly diseases.  One of the cardinal responsibilities of government to its citizens is to […]

It is obvious that a child is a gift from God who should be nurtured to adulthood and this can be done when the child gets required medical attention like taking complete doses of vaccines which serves as preventive measures against deadly diseases.  One of the cardinal responsibilities of government to its citizens is to ensure that people live a healthy life by protecting the younger ones who are vulnerable to killer diseases and are given protection through administering of vaccines on them. One of the  child killer diseases is polio which is contagious and caused by polio virus and spread through contact with stool of an infected person or droplets from the sneeze or cough.

According to experts, polio has a very big effect to children because it causes so many after effects such as muscle weakness, paralyze the body/legs like pain, arm pain, neck pain, back pain, and headache which denies the victim from physical, social and educational activities. The victim can also be denied peering with and his/she will think he is stigmatized in the society.

The only remedy to polio disease is by taking regular vaccination and also improve on personal hygiene. Government has a special role to play in the society by making the vaccines available to them.

Before an American medical research and virologist Jonas Salk Eward (October 28, 1914 June 23, 1995) discovered and developed the first successful inactivated polio vaccine, the disease has claimed the lives of many and left others with permanent paralysis across the globe.

In an effort to eradicate polio in Nigeria, the global polio eradication initiative, led by the Federal Government with Support from World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the center for disease control and prevention, Rotary International and the Bill and  Melinda Gates Foundation also supported the exercise. However, when the exercise was first introduced there was resistance of non compliance from some households as some attributed it to a ploy by western countries to control birth rate in Nigeria, but with awareness by media, traditional and religious leaders parents now present themselves for vaccinations. With the feat achieved in acceptance of the vaccines, millions of children are expected to be administered with polio vaccine in each round of immunization exercise.

The introduction of IPV into routine immunization systems is among the major objectives of the global polio eradication initative (GPEI). In May 2012, the world health assembly asked all countries using only the oral polio vaccine (OPV) to introduce at least one dose of IPV into routine immunization schedules by the end of 2015. OPV is extremely safe and has led the world to be polio free. The global eradicationof polio requires the termination of all OPV use, once polio has been eradicated. IPV will then be the only option for countries to maintain immunity levels. Due to commitment by Nigerian government towards polio eradication President MohammaduBuhari was conferred with the prestigious polio champion award in recognition of his commitment and leadership in the polio eradication programme across Nigeria.

The only way to protect a child against polio vaccine are some of the reason why medical doctors recommend a child get four doses of the polio vaccine, inactive polio virus (IPV) for best protection. The child will need one dose at each of the following ages, 2 months, 4 months, 6 through 18 months, 4 through 6 years.

Rehinatu Bako

University of Maiduguri

Department of Mass Communication