Lagos- A medical researcher, Dr Bamidele Iwalokun, on Sunday in Lagos said polio immunisation coverage needed to be improved in some states where the incidence was prevalent.
Iwalokun of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Yaba, Lagos, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that polio was contributing to the disability of many children in Nigeria.
“Apart from polio killing five to 10 per cent of children that will have Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP), it also adds to the number of children with disability in the country.
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“This poses a major challenge because apart from tackling polio transmission, we now have the burden of increased morbidity in children and this adds to the cost of healthcare management.
“To reduce the burden of polio, we need to identify states where the immunisation coverage is low, so it can be improved.”
Iwalokun said that the country was yet to meet the 80 per cent global immunisation target for polio due to factors like poverty,
misconception, misinformation and communication and geographical barriers.
“We have a robust polio surveillance system which greatly helped us in the fight against Ebola last year.
“We, however, need to address the factors limiting polio immunisation coverage in areas where low coverage has been recorded.
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“ The outreach programme needs to be revitalised; it needs to be a routine exercise at primary health care level to identify children that have not received their respective doses.
“By so doing, we will be able to close the gaps of missed opportunities,” he said.
Iwalokun tasked communities on maintaining good sanitation and hygiene to limit the transmission of the disease. (NAN)