One of Africa's Largest Vaccination Campaigns Enters Second Phase (Report)

(HN, February 11, 2011) - A nationwide, integrated measles and polio vaccination campaign that aims to immunize more than 51 million children in Nigeria moves this month to the southern part of Africa's most populous nation.A young girl receiving life-saving polio drops in the northern Nigerian state of Kano. CREDIT: Christine McNab

An army of some 107,000 health workers have been deployed - many travelling on foot and going door-to-door. Lagos and surrounding states will be targeted throughout February. Mobile teams and fixed posts are being used in the current campaign.

The vaccination campaign has overlapped, in part, with a nationwide voter registration drive that ended Monday after two extensions. Some observers say that exercise - as well as preparations for elections in April - are diverting significant attention - and resources - away from public health priorities.

Nigeria is one of four polio endemic countries in the world - along with Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. However, last year saw a 95 percent drop in polio cases and Nigeria and UNICEF Country Representative Suomi Sakai says she hopes to see the debilitating disease totally wiped out this year. (So far there has been only one case in 2011).

Said Robin Nandy, UNICEF's global polio chief: "Nigeria has been a centre for polio virus transmission over the past few years, resulting in the spread of the virus to various countries in the region. If we are able to gain control of it in Nigeria, then we gain control of it in the region. That's why this current campaign is so important."

Nigeria also suffers from occasional measles outbreaks.

The ongoing measles and polio campaign is being run by the Government of Nigeria and with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Foundation, Gates Foundation, Rotary International, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Lions International.