ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home Features

Five-year-old polio survivor eyes medical profession

8th October 2020
in Features, Lifeline
0
Five-year-old polio survivor eyes medical profession
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri

Five-year-old Modu Busami, Nigeria’s last polio survivor, looks at his future as a big picture. Within his frail body and seeming small mind is a larger dream. The little boy wants to be a medical doctor.

Modu, who was about two years old in 2016, in Monguno, a town in the northern part of Borno State, was full of life until he was struck by what his parents thought was high fever.

“It started like malaria. His body was very hot and then we discovered he could no longer walk,” his father Bulama Kachalla, told Daily Sun. He said the intervention of some medical officials gave the family some relief that their only son would be well eventually.

But the family was faced with fresh fears when he started experiencing what looked like paralysis, said the mother, Aisha Alhaji.

“I was afraid I could lose the boy. I didn’t know what was wrong with him. It started like malaria and later he couldn’t walk,” the mother said.

Medical experts said he was positive for circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus type 2 (Cvdpv2) known as wild polio. The mother said the ‘strange’ news devastated the family, adding that she thought he would never come back better.

“But the medical expatriates were always coming. They were always coming to see the boy, to give him the polio vaccine and to also support us,” the father added.

Modu’s parents were not the only ones devastated by the new polio case reported then in August 2016. Nigeria and Nigerians as well as partners in the campaigns to end polio in Africa were taken aback.

Paulinme Ibrahim, who headed the Journalists Against Polio (JAP) group in Borno, noted that: “It was a step backward in the campaign to end polio then because we were looking forward to Nigeria being declared polio-free.”

Today, Modu is free, walking with ease after a three-year battle with the crippling virus. And he would not give up his dreams of becoming a medical doctor. His father said his wish for the boy was to go to school to make his dream a reality.

“The only challenge we have now is the education of this boy. We want him to go to school and be educated. He also wants to be a doctor, to be treating people as he was treated,” Kachalla said.

United Nations country coordinator, Mr. Edward Kallon, while on a visit to Modu in Maiduguri with some WHO officials described the five-year-old boy as a symbol of hope. He said it was an opportunity to bring back hope and life to people affected by the deadly disease.

“Now that polio is eradicated in Nigeria and Africa, we can see that a small man like Modu is again back into society. He is again back to become a productive member of his family and the society he belongs,” Kallon stated.

He also presented a computer from Borno State to the boy. He said the computer was a renewal of hope after the polio affliction. “I am really pleased seeing Modu, the last case, standing with us this morning. It gives me inspiration that where there is a will, there is a way,” he said.

World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, urged Nigerians to step up surveillance and vaccination to prevent return of polio to the country from the two nations, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the virus still exists.

“Polio anywhere is a risk of polio reintroduction everywhere. So, we need to remain vigilant, to continue surveillance, to make sure that all children get immunised so that we keep immunisation coverage high enough, to protect all children until such time when global eradication is achieved when we don’t have any Wild Polio Virus (WPV) in those two countries,” he said.

He said WHO’s target was to ensure global eradication of the virus, and he called on parents and guardians to make their children and wards available for vaccination. He commended Modu’s parents for not giving up on the vaccination of their son despite the affliction.

Efforts by Nigeria to end polio in the country earlier were halted by Modu’s case in August 2016. However, no other case has been reported since then, making him the last case in Africa. The Africa Regional Certification Commission, an independent assessor, last month declared the country polio-free after achieving no case in four years.   

Rapheal

Rapheal

Related Posts

Encourage wards to embrace training mode at MTU, VC tells parents
Lifeline

Encourage wards to embrace training mode at MTU, VC tells parents

30th January 2023
Excitement over bill to tackle wildlife trafficking, protect endangered species
Lifeline

Excitement over bill to tackle wildlife trafficking, protect endangered species

30th January 2023
I neither saw nor touched $1b security fund –Ex Army Chief, Gen Buratai (retd)
Features

I neither saw nor touched $1b security fund –Ex Army Chief, Gen Buratai (retd)

30th January 2023
Next Post
In Plateau, hope rises on collapsed bridges

In Plateau, hope rises on collapsed bridges

Residents groan as collapsed roads put Ogun communities in perpetual distress

Residents groan as collapsed roads put Ogun communities in perpetual distress

Memory boosters!

Effective remedies for itchy bottom

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

POS agents make brisk money with old naira swap in Imo

UNILORIN begins virtual lectures for large classes

DSS nabs syndicates selling new Naira notes

BITmarkets expands to Nigeria

Naira swap: How Tinubu saved Nigeria from going up in flames – Supporters group

There may be no single medical doctor left in Nigerian hospital soon – NARD warns

Trending

Group threatens to bomb Catholic Church in Lagos
National

Security beefed up as Buhari makes official visit to Kano

30th January 2023
0

From Desmond Mgboh, Kano Security has been beefed up in parts of Kano metropolis as President Muhammadu...

Ebonyi 2023: APC Stakeholders reject embattled Speaker Nwifuru for guber

APC guber candidate gets 48hrs ultimatum to apologise, withdraw threat against community

30th January 2023
2023: We’ll work with people in diaspora to develop Plateau – APC candidate, Nentawe Yilwatda

2023: We’ll work with people in diaspora to develop Plateau – APC candidate, Nentawe Yilwatda

30th January 2023
Unemployment: FG trains 1,850 people on POS business, distributes kits

POS agents make brisk money with old naira swap in Imo

30th January 2023
unilorin

UNILORIN begins virtual lectures for large classes

30th January 2023
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • Security beefed up as Buhari makes official visit to Kano
  • APC guber candidate gets 48hrs ultimatum to apologise, withdraw threat against community
  • 2023: We’ll work with people in diaspora to develop Plateau – APC candidate, Nentawe Yilwatda
  • POS agents make brisk money with old naira swap in Imo
  • UNILORIN begins virtual lectures for large classes
  • DSS nabs syndicates selling new Naira notes
  • BITmarkets expands to Nigeria
  • Naira swap: How Tinubu saved Nigeria from going up in flames – Supporters group
  • There may be no single medical doctor left in Nigerian hospital soon – NARD warns
  • Naira Notes Swap: 36 governors need to intervene – Chair, Senate Committee on banking
  • Ochei begs supporters for calm as opposition thugs remove his posters, banners
  • Ensure your PVCs are available to vote, APC Reps candidate, Kalejaiye urges AJIF residents
  • Tinubu’s man tackles CNPP over call to purge NNPCL
  • Erdoğan signals NATO support for Finland, leaving Sweden in the cold
  • Currency swap: Jubilation trails extension of deadline
  • Russian club to unveil Aruna Quadri today
  • 2023 Lagos International Polo tournament: Team Art Hotel falls to Trojan Ark in opening game
  • Sportsville Award excites Diri, Betsy Obaseki
  • 2023 World Championship: Usoro leaps to Championship standard
  • Elections: Politicians, others must play by the rules –Jega

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • Change of Name
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.