From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Government has taken precautionary steps to safeguard Nigeria against importation of the Wild Polio Virus (WPV) following the recent outbreak of WPV in Malawi.
The precautionary measures, according to the Federal Government, would be developed and implemented by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) using its previous experiences and competencies.
NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, in a statement, on Friday, said that “good heads” have been assembled to execute the task, and was optimistic that the measures would be fruitful.
He said: “One of the measures is the reactivation and reconstitution of the Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization (ERC). They would provides expert advice and guidance on strategies and approaches for polio eradication and routine immunization.”
Dr. Faisal confirmed that ERC’s expert advice contributed immensely to the achievement of WPV-free status in August 2020, hence, it has become imperative to reactivate the committee following the recent outbreak of WPV in Malawi and the outbreaks of circulating variant of polio virus type 2 (cVPV2) in Nigeria.
He disclosed that the reconstituted 12-member expert committee is chaired by a public health expert, Prof. Akin Osibogun, while members were drawn from the academia, the media, donors and development partners including WHO, CDC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“Members include Prof. Dorothy Esangbedo, Prof. Shuaib Bello, Prof. Clara Ejembi, Prof. Sade Ogunsola, Prof. B.S.C. Uzochukwu, Prof. Ilayisu Zubairu, Dr. Muhammad Dallatu, Mr. Mannir Dan Ali, Dr. Steve Cochi (CDC), Mr. Aidan O’Leary (WHO) and Jay Wenger (BMGF), and they have a renewable tenure of two years.
He said the ERC will work with NPHCDA to come up with multi-stakeholder plans to strengthen surveillance, build population immunity, mitigate against and control all forms of polio viruses.