While Nigeria was the only remaining country in Africa to contend with the disease, it will take another two years of no new cases before World Health Organization can declare the entire continent polio-free.
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The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, on Saturday, expressed delight over the announcement, which followed the absence of any case of the virus in Nigeria since July 24, 2014.
“We Nigerians are proud today,” said Ado Muhammad, the executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency of Nigeria, in a press release.
Nigeria has formally get rid of itself of this very gear train of polio, which translates to mean Africa is arguably one stride more towards being free of one’s illness, the World Health Organization has stated.
Polio which can have a fulfilling paralysis… “With local innovation and national persistence, we have beaten polio”.
He said that the forum also commended all stakeholders that contributed to the process leading to the delisting of Nigeria from polio-endemic countries by the WHO.
A few religious leaders rejected the vaccination efforts, deeming them part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children, according to NPR.
However, there was another setback in 2013, when Boko Haram reportedly killed nine women who were vaccinating children against polio.
Buhari, who joined other Nigerians and the global community in celebrating Nigeria’s removal from the list of polio-endemic countries, urged continued vigilance to ensure that “Nigeria maintains this new status”. Now with the army driving out the militants from the tribal areas and the commitment from the Ulema to cooperate with the government to create awareness about polio vaccinations, Pakistan might just hopefully be Polio-free.
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced earlier this year that his government has a firm resolve to eradicate polio from Pakistan and also appreciated the cooperation of the Chief Ministers for conducting successful campaigns in their respective provinces.
