NIGER STATE FACES ACTIVE POLIO OUTBREAK ACROSS 4 LGAs
The Niger State Government has confirmed five active cases of polio across four local government areas (LGAs), detected through a combination of environmental and human sampling.
This development was disclosed by the state immunization officer, Abubakar Kpantu, during a Mass Mobilization Dialogue in Minna.
Organised by the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the event brought together journalists, social media youth influencers, and U-Reporters to drive awareness. Kpantu revealed that routine and reactive vaccination campaigns have already been deployed to protect children in the affected communities.
Speaking under the campaign theme, “Towards a Polio-Free Niger State,” Kpantu urged residents to escalate community surveillance and immunization efforts to guarantee the swift eradication of the disease from the state.
Providing a breakdown of the cases, Kpantu explained that three human cases were recorded—two in Mariga LGA and one in Magama LGA. The remaining two cases were detected through environmental surveillance, with one found in Chanchaga LGA and the other in Bida LGA.
Following the environmental discoveries, health authorities have rolled out several containment strategies. Kpantu called for maximum cooperation from all community stakeholders to effectively curb and eliminate the spread of the virus.
He noted that emergency reactive vaccinations have already been administered to children living within the immediate vicinities of the detected cases.
The immunization officer attributed the resurgence of the virus to a lack of compliance and gaps in routine immunization, prompting health workers to initiate intensive community engagement in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, representatives from the WHO, UNICEF, and Solina Centre for International Development and Growth called for a significant boost in statewide surveillance to ensure Niger State completely eliminates the threat.
The international partners emphasized that defeating the virus requires deliberate compliance from parents, who must ensure their children receive every required dose of the vaccine.
They concluded by calling for sustained and aggressive community sensitization campaigns, particularly within the high-risk local government areas of Bida, Magama, Mariga, and Chanchaga.
About The Author
