Two polio virus cases have been reported in Mariga and Chanchaga Local Government Areas of Niger State. The announcement was made by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Murtala Mohammad Bagana, during a one-day expanded state oversight committee meeting and Abuja commitment held in Minna yesterday.
Polio Cases Detected in Niger
Dr. Bagana stated, “We knew that this virus was still there because we are surrounded by all the states that still have the virus, such as Kwara, Kogi, and Kebbi, and people from these states are coming into Niger as a result of insecurity. We are doing everything possible to contain the spread.” He lamented that although Niger does not want any circulating vaccine-derived polio virus in the state, the incident demonstrates that the state’s surveillance system is strong, active, and capable of detecting diseases within the environment. The virus was isolated in the affected local government areas.
The commissioner praised the council chairmen for their swift response to prevent further spread. He maintained that his ministry has the manpower and logistics to mount the necessary response to ensure the state does not encounter a setback again.
Dr. Mustafa Alheri, Chairman of Chanchaga Local Council, indicated that the council, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies, has taken swift action to control the spread of the virus. He appreciated the commissioner, his management team, and development partners for intensifying the campaign against polio throughout Niger.
Katsina Faces Vaccination Challenges
In Katsina State, persistent non-compliance has been identified as a setback hampering the successful conduct of polio immunization exercises. Dr. Shamsudeen Yahaya, Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Agency (SPHCA), made this known during a mass mobilization dialogue with journalists and other stakeholders in the state yesterday.
Dr. Yahaya said the problem was encountered during the polio vaccination exercise in March this year across the state. He also identified other challenges, including missed children due to absence or poor follow-up systems, gaps in data reporting and real-time tracking, and the need for stronger community engagement and localized messages. Despite these challenges, he noted that the state was able to immunize a total of 2,954,362 children out of a projected three million against polio in March this year.
