By Asma’u Ahmad
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Enahire, said Nigeria remains the only country in Africa still harbouring the polio virus.
The minister spoke in Jalingo, Taraba state at the launching of the monthly outbreak response immunisation campaign against the polio virus.
Dr. Enahire explained that Nigeria was on the verge of getting out of the menace of polio before the virus unfortunately resurfaced in Borno state.
“It is worrisome to note that Nigeria remains the only country in Africa still harbouring wide polio virus. Considering the fact that Taraba falls within the region of the outbreak, this exercise is timely and I commend the state government for this,” he said.
Ehanire noted that the Federal government was totally committed to tackling the menace in order to remove Nigeria from the list of three countries still harbouring the virus.
He appealed to parents to allow the immunisation officers to have access and administer the vaccine on their children, saying, it had no side effects.
The state Governor Mr. Darius Ishaku said the state was doing everything possible to ensure that children were safe.
Mr. Ishaku explained that the state government was mindful of the fact that people were migrating from Borno, where four cases were recently recorded, to Taraba daily and was therefore out to check possible outbreak.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, the governor directed all the local council chairmen in the state to pay due attention to the immunisation exercise.
