How Nigeria Won War Against Polio In One Year

Nigeria has recorded a full year without a case of polio infection according to various confirmed reports. The viral disease which affects children was last experienced in Sumaila Local Government, Kano on July 24, 2014.
Polio is highly infectious and is commonly suffered by children. It is transmitted person-to-person through food or water from where it enters the body system, breaking it down and resulting in paralysis.

Nigeria may have successfully defeated polio as there has been no case of polio in the last one year

The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Ado Mohammed revealed in a statement that Nigeria will stop being blacklisted if laboratory results come out positive in the coming weeks.
The signs of polio include headache, vomiting, fatigue and weakness in the limbs; resulting in permanent paralysis.

The Nigerian government has been on the polio case for many years, in a bid to eradicate it from the country. This report is a victory for the cause because there is no known cure for the infection, other than preventing it through vaccination.
But “Nigeria will only be certified polio free by WHO in 2017, provided it maintains its zero case status, further strengthens its surveillance system, improves routine immunization and maintains high quality campaigns,” Mohammed added.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), polio has been reduced by over 99% in Nigeria. The spread of the virus reduced from 350,000 cases in 1998 to as little as 416 cases in 2013, the WHO report says.
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