BENIN – The Director of Disease Control, Edo Ministry of Health, Dr Osamwonyi Irowa, on Friday said the state had been Polio free since 2009.
Irowa, who made the disclosure when he spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin, said the last case of polio in the state was recorded five years ago.
“In 2012, there was a scare of the disease in Ovia North East Local Government Area in the state.
“I was part of the team that went to the area to investigate and there was no polio,” he said.
Irowa said the state could remain polio-free by encouraging parents to bring out their children for immunisation, observing personal hygiene and gaining access to medical care when necessary.
He called on members of the public to embrace government’s policies on immunisation so as to break the chain of transmission of the virus.
The director said that a break in the chain would result to having immunity; a situation where the virus will not be able to spread in a particular territory. (NAN)
