The recent outbreak of polio in Bormo State has highlighted the need to be proactive in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration. The Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, who said this, added that the board would step up its routine immunisation in the territory.He said that the identified 20 hot spot communities and internally displaced persons camps would be given priority in the campaign by the task force to be chaired by the FCT minister. The task force would have other stakeholders as members and it would discuss how to address resurgence of the polio epidemic in Nigeria. He said that since 2013 when the FCT was declared a high risk area, there had been no case of polio in the territory.
Mohammed called for more commitment from stakeholders and commended the effort of the media, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole for the recent award of a grant of $1.5m to each state of the federation, including the FCT, to boost capacity of primary healthcare officials. He said that the board would embark on provision of injectable polio vaccine, contrary to the oral type, to boost immune system of children in the territory.
He said that the admission of a fresh outbreak demonstrated sincerity on the part of government and its willingness to check outbreak of polio in Nigeria.
Source:MWN
