Polio Days Numbered, Says Obasanjo

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday said that in the face of the progress made by government's immunisation programme in the past three years, the end of poliomyelitis was in sight.

Obasanjo made the disclosure while declaring open the 10th meeting of the task force on immunisation and the ninth meeting of the African Regional Inter-Agency Co-ordinating Committee in Abuja.

A statement from the office of the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the President signed by Mr Attah Esa, the president expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the National Programme on Immunisation (NPI) towards reducing "Childhood Morbidity and Mortality through Immunisation Against Childhood Killer Diseases and the Provision of Vaccines."

He noted that Vitamin A was being added to the immunisation package of all children over six months saying such would enhance their immune system and protect them against from the diseases.

Obasanjo, who said the access to immunisation was "the right of every child," further stressed that he was not only looking forward to the eradication of polio and maintaining that position in the counry, but also "impelementing full immunisation services throughout Africa together with a reliable mechanism for Vitamin A distribution to our under-five population."

Calling on participants to "join hands and find the way" to achieving the groups objectives, the President said the progress made by his administration in the last three years towards eradication of polio would surely see the end of the disease.

Chairman of the Task Force on Immunisation (TFI), Professor F. Nkrumah, observed that the body, established in 1991, deliberately chose Nigeria as host of the 10th meeting to gain prominence and support from the world's bigest black nation. Minister of Health, Professor Alphonsus Nwosu, had in his welcome address recalled the progress made in immunisation service delivery this year at country, regional and global levels and hoped that participants would end the meeting with a determination that every child in the world would be immunised.

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.