Polio Setback

The Club continues to support Rotary's End Polio Now Campaign but sadly the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that two cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) have been detected in Nigeria in the north-eastern state of Borno.

Nigeria had gone over two years without any cases of wild poliovirus and as eradication nears completion, the poliovirus was expected to fight back.

However, WHO remain confident that Nigeria can end polio. The Nigerian government and the polio programme are working quickly to respond to the outbreak using proven tactics that will prevent further spread of the disease including emergency vaccination campaigns to boost immunity in impacted and at-risk areas, and reinforced surveillance activities to ensure detection of all strains of polio. Because polio knows no borders, steps will also be taken to protect surrounding countries, to ensure all children are vaccinated and to reduce the risk of the spread of the disease.