The Rotary Club says it is targeting more than three billion children across the globe for immunisation against poliomyelitis.
Dr. Michael Oguntoye, the State Polio Representative for Rotary Club in Kwara, made this known at a news conference to mark the World Polio Day in Ilorin on Wednesday.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Polio Day is marked every Oct. 24.
According to Oguntoye, in Africa, there is synchronised National Immunisation Days in 23 countries, targeted at 80 million children.
He said the development, which took place in 2014, was the largest coordinated polio immunisation efforts on the continent.
Oguntoye described polio as a highly infectious disease that largely affects children under the ages of five, spread through faecal-oral route.
According to him, the Rotary Club’s total contribution to polio eradication had exceeded 500 million dollars.
“The number of polio endemic countries dropped to four, including Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan in 2006.
“Today, with the unflinching support of Rotary, only two countries are left to exit the league of polio endemic countries; Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said.
Oguntoye observed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had officially announced the transmission of Wild Polio Virus, which had already been stopped in all 47 countries of its African region.
“This is historic and a vital step toward global polio eradication, which is one of Rotary’s top priority.
“This is coming after four years without a case of Wild Polio virus in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
“With this historic milestone, five of the six WHO regions, representing 90 per cent of the world population, are now free from the virus,” he said.
Oguntoye attributed the success to the continued generosity, efforts and shared commitment of donors, including governments, private sector and multilateral institutions, among others.
“We in Rotary are committed to ensuring that polio is eradicated all over the world and will continue to support surveillance, routine immunisation and supplemental polio immunisation activities,” he said.
NAN
