PRESS RELEASE “IMMUNIZATION AGAINST POLIO REMAINS HIGH ON OUR PRIORITY LIST” - FCT MINISTER …STRESSES NEED TO SUSTAIN EFFORTS TOWARD COMPLETE ERADICATION

As part of efforts to ensure the complete eradication of polio from the

 Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Minister, Malam Muhammad

 Musa Bello has assured that campaign efforts will be intensified while

 partnership built against polio would be sustained to guide against 

re-infection.

Malam Bello who gave the assurance at the start of Polio Week 

organized by Cedarcrest Polio Centre, Abuja,  said now was not 

the time to relent just as Nigeria was about to be declared and 

certified a Polio free country, stressing that failure not was not an

 option.

He said that even though the FCT has performed quite well in the fight

 against polio, “we will not rest on our laurels as our campaigns will

 be intensified. We have come so far and fought so hard over the 

years, so much so that failure now is not an option. We intend to 

sustain the network of partnership we have built against polio and 

maintain watch against re-infection”.

He continued, “while it is heartwarming to note that in just a few months

, Nigeria will be declared polio free if no new cases of infection are

 registered, it must be mentioned that there can be no room for 

complacency. Nothing should be taken for granted and vigilance 

should be our watchword”.

The Minister said the FCT has left no stone unturned in the quest to 

ensure that every eligible child is immunized, adding that so far, five

 out of the six area councils of the FCT have achieved 90 per cent 

coverage and for over six years, no new case of the disease has been

 recorded in the FCT.

He therefore called for vigilance while commending health 

workers for their efforts towards the attainment and maintenance of

 the status so far reached in the fight against polio.

Malam Bello also commended Cedarcrest Polio Centre and its partner

s for efforts not only in the fight against polio in the country but also

 in making treatment available to people living with residual deformities

 after suffering from the disease.

He described polio as one of the most devastating diseases that 

can affect an individual, particularly, “because of its ability to cause

 paralysis and deformation of limbs and significantly lower the quality 

of lives of victims”.

In a welcome address earlier, the Director, Cedarcrest Polio Centre, 

Dr. Felix Ogedengbe called for the establishment of an active

 referral Centre for polio patients in Nigeria where victims can seek

 help and care.

ANTHONY OGUNLEYE

CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY

22/10/2019

FCTA/OCPS/PR/065