World Bank to help Nigeria consolidate 95% decline in Polio
Relief has come the way of Nigeria as the World Bank recently approved an additional credit of $60 million for its Partnership for Polio Eradication project. These funds are expected to help finance polio vaccines during the coming year as well as continue to support other aspects of primary health care (PHC) in the country.
This development, experts believe, is sequel to recent success the nation has achieved in combating polio vis-a-vis immunizing children with oral polio vaccine.
Making this known in a statement, Muhammed Pate, executive director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, (NPHCDA), revealed that the achievement demonstrates the value of a unique model of performance-based development assistance and the commitment of Nigeria and its partners to a polio-free country.
Pate stated that the result of this unique ‘buy-down’ funding arrangement is the vaccination of the majority of Nigerian children with oral polio vaccine and a 95 percent reduction in polio paralysis. The executive director noted stated that through the polio eradication effort, Nigeria has demonstrated it can deliver on new forms of development assistance and our partners have demonstrated their commitment to Nigeria.
According to Pate, “The World Bank has recently confirmed, through an independent review, that Nigeria is succeeding. The development partners including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the US Centres for Disease Control and Rotary International with the World Bank have confirmed their ‘buy-down’ of the loan, effectively converting it to a grant.
“Other partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), contributed to improved quality Immunization Plus Days, (IPDs) helping Nigeria to reach the performance targets. The success of the 2003-2010 buy-down has paved the way for a new N9.3 billion ($60 million) World Bank credit for Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) through 2012. The new credit will pay for the OPV required to vaccinate all Nigerian children under-five many times in campaigns through 2012, and rapidly stop transmission of the crippling poliovirus. Partners have pledged to pay off this credit as well provided Nigeria continues to reach the majority of children with OPV particularly in high-risk States,” Pate revealed.
While expressing optimism that the new funding credit would provide a tremendous opportunity to eradicate polio in Nigeria, Pate disclosed that there is urgent work to be done in many northern States where crippling polio infections are still occurring.
“These must be stopped through high-quality mop-up campaigns. To date in 2011, the polio virus has paralysed children in Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kano, Sokoto and Zamfara States. This is because the quality of IPDs campaigns in some Local Government Areas is poor and routine immunisation is still low, leaving large pockets of children susceptible to the polio virus. One child paralysed with the poliovirus can silently infect 200 more unimmunized children, and rapidly cause explosive outbreaks,” he stated.
For Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, “The few remaining cases of polio in Nigeria still represent a threat to global fight against polio, as the virus knows no borders and could still spread into more countries. Building on recent gains, the time is ripe to try to wipe out the disease from Nigeria for good through continued immunization, and move a step closer to regional and global eradication.”
It is noteworthy to state that of the four endemic countries known to harbor the polio virus- Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria,-christened PAIN countries, no other country has ever experienced the rapid decrease in polio cases that Nigeria in 2011.
While Nigeria had 4000 cases in 2003 and 612 in 2008, the very intensive effort during the past two years has led to a 95 percent reduction of polio cases between 2009 and 2010. The country only had 21 cases in 2010 with the total number of cases for 2011 remains eight. The most recent case was due to WPV1, with onset of paralysis on 18 March, from Sokoto State.
Recent reports suggest that with the support of the World Bank financing, over 400 million doses of oral polio vaccines will be procured for the supplemental immunization activities at national and sub-national levels and mop-up rounds in 2011. However, partners’ and government financing are expected to cover the operational costs for these campaigns and support activities like social mobilization and capacity building.
The new World Bank credit for Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts is the third since 2003. It continues a “buy-down” provision by which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Rotary International (through the UN Foundation) will pay off the present value of the credit on behalf of Nigeria if an independent assessment determines that performance indicators have been achieved. Though, if targets are met, funds for the buy-down are released and the debt is paid off.
Worthy of note is the fact that polio is an acute viral infectious disease which spreads from person to person, and which can infect and debilitate the central nervous system of the child it infects. With no present cure for polio, the disease can only be prevented through immunization with the polio vaccine, given multiple times, to protect a child for life.
Alexander Chiejina with agency reports
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