Health authorities in Niger State are stepping up immunisation and surveillance after poliovirus was detected in five samples drawn from four local government areas.
The detections were made in Mariga, Magama, Bida and Chanchaga, through both human and environmental sampling.
State Immunisation Officer Abubakar Kpantu shared the figures at a mass mobilisation dialogue in Minna, which brought together journalists, social media influencers and U-Reporters. The event, themed “Towards a Polio-Free Niger State,” was organised by the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to Kpantu, three of the detections came from human samples: two in Mariga and one in Magama. The other two were picked up through environmental surveillance in Chanchaga and Bida.
He said reactive vaccination has begun, with children in the affected communities already immunised, alongside other containment measures.
“After the environmental sampling, a lot of strategies have been put in place to curtail the spread of the disease, and we want all stakeholders to cooperate with us so that we can tackle the virus,” he said.
Kpantu, however, pointed to weak routine immunisation and vaccine resistance as key drivers of the outbreak. “The virus is here and it is as a result of a high level of non-compliance,” he said.
He called on residents to take up routine immunisation and support stronger disease surveillance as the state works to eliminate the virus.
Representatives of WHO, UNICEF and SOLINA echoed the appeal, urging more community engagement and closer monitoring to stop further transmission. They stressed that parents and caregivers must ensure their children receive polio vaccines, noting that public cooperation is vital to containing the spread.
The agencies also called for intensified sensitisation campaigns in Bida, Magama, Mariga and Chanchaga to boost vaccine acceptance and protect children.
