Poliovirus: Lagos to begin response scheme in 57 councils

Lagos State government has concluded plans to begin Polio Outbreak Response in all 57 local councils and Local Council Development Areas of the state to prevent another outbreak of wild polio virus in the state.

This Outbreak Response (OBR) will be held between Saturday, January 18, and Tuesday, January 22, 2025.

The supervising Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Abimbola Bowale, said this, during a briefing on immunisation activities in the state on Tuesday, in Lagos.

He warned the entire country is vulnerable to reinfection by the wild poliovirus, especially with a recent outbreak of wild polio-virus type 1 in Malawi and Mozambique.

He recalled that the Lagos State Government commenced the 2024 Measles and Yellow Fever Integrated vaccination campaign on October 19, 2024.

“The Integrated Supplemental Immunization Activities (SIA) campaign was a landmark public health intervention that was aimed at addressing gaps in immunization coverage and curbing the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases in Lagos State,” he said.

“This comprehensive campaign targeted measles, yellow fever, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV), prioritizing high-risk populations and leveraging innovative strategies to maximize impact.

“The safeguarding of the lives of Lagosians remains a priority of the Lagos State Government, and to continue to ensure that the State remains free from the burden of all Vaccine Preventable Diseases, the Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, will implement a Polio Outbreak Response in all LGAs and LCDAs in a bid to maintain the country’s polio-free status following the certification received in August 2020.”

The permanent secretary stated that the Polio Outbreak Response campaign is necessary to “prevent a setback in our laudable achievements if the virus is not properly curtailed and it is important to maintain the country’s polio-free status.”

Speaking on the campaign success recorded on measles and yellow fever, he disclosed that significant milestones materialized as 3,595,461 children were vaccinated against measles, representing 85% coverage while 20,366,405 Lagosians received the yellow fever vaccine, achieving 95% coverage as well as 163,553 eligible persons were vaccinated against HPV.

“These efforts were bolstered by large-scale social mobilization activities, which reached over 21 million people and strengthened health systems through enhanced cold chain capacity and workforce training.”

He enumerated some of the challenges faced during the campaign which included, delays in funds for logistics, and vaccine supply disrupted timelines while limited cold chain storage and logistics infrastructure posed operational constraints among others.