…17 cases of circulating poliovirus type 2 recorded this year

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said that polio transmission is still active in Nigeria, adding that all necessary measures were needed to stop the disease.

This came as a total of 17 cases of circulating poliovirus type 2, otherwise known as cVPV2, have been recorded so far this year.

The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr. Muyi Aina, who stated this at the agency’s first quarter news conference in Abuja, said the number was as of April 10, 2025.

The cases, he explained, were across 15 local government areas in eight states across the country.

“Let me use this opportunity to reassure all Nigerians that we have remained WPV-free. However, since 2021, we have been contending with the challenge of the cVPV2 – another form of the virus that has mutated over time and started spreading.

“As of April 10, 2025, we have recorded 17 CVPV2 cases across 15 LGAs in 8 states. 12 of the 17 cases are Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) cases, while 5 were found in Environmental Sites (ES). This shows that there is still active transmission of the virus in the country, which we need to stop.

“We have therefore embarked on a strategic shift in critical components of the polio campaign, including vaccination team selection, demand generation, supervision, and accountability,” he said.

He said the agency’s next polio campaign is scheduled to commence this Saturday, 26th April, in batches with the northern states, while the southern states will commence on May 3rd, also in batches.

“The northern states will synchronise with our neighbouring countries in the Lake Basin.

“Our Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, joined his colleagues from the Lake Chad Basin countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, and Niger) last week in N’Djamena, Chad, to launch the synchronised polio vaccination campaign.

“The goal is to reach about 83 million children across these Lake Chad Basin countries,” he added

Recall that in 2020, Nigeria was declared WPV free following the country’s successful eradication of the wild polio virus (WPV).