The Federal Government has revealed that, despite spending $500 million on polio eradication efforts, challenges remain in fully eliminating circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV).
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at a high-level meeting with the Polio Oversight Board (POB), development partners and government officials.
Pate expressed concern over the financial burden of polio eradication, stressing that the funds could have been used to strengthen primary healthcare and reduce maternal and child mortality if routine immunisation systems were more effective.
“The $500 million currently being spent on polio eradication could have been used to strengthen primary healthcare and prevent maternal and child deaths. If we do not close the gaps, we will continue to divert resources from other pressing health priorities,” he said.
Despite strong political commitment, he noted that operational challenges continue to hinder complete eradication of poliovirus in Nigeria.
“Key among these challenges are false vaccination records, with one in four children marked as vaccinated despite not receiving the vaccine; Weak supervision and team selection, leading to inconsistencies in immunisation coverage and poor micro-planning, leaving vulnerable children unvaccinated, particularly in high-risk communities.”
To address these gaps, he said the government has activated a polio task force under the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. This task force mandates state governors to take full ownership of polio eradication efforts at the local government level.
The minister emphasised the need for strict accountability at all levels to sustain the progress made in polio eradication. To prevent further financial strain, he said Nigeria is integrating polio eradication into routine primary healthcare services.
“This aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, which prioritises expanding primary healthcare infrastructure and improving service delivery, retraining 120,000 frontline health workers, with 60,000 already trained, promoting local vaccine production to reduce dependence on donor-funded vaccines and strengthening surveillance and outbreak response mechanisms to detect and respond swiftly to poliovirus cases.”
Pate stressed that continuing to allocate large sums solely for polio eradication is unsustainable.
“We cannot afford to keep spending massive resources on polio alone. The way forward is to integrate polio vaccination into routine immunisation and primary healthcare services,” he said.
He also identified misinformation and vaccine hesitancy as major threats to polio eradication.
The minister called on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp to take stronger action against false vaccine narratives, which have contributed to lower vaccine acceptance in some communities.
“We are engaging traditional and religious leaders to counter misinformation, but digital platforms must do more to curb false narratives about vaccines,” he added.
A 2016 report by Science Nigeria revealed that national coverage for the third dose of the poliovirus vaccine (Pol3) was only 33 per cent, with less than 25 per cent coverage in seven of the thirteen northern states. These figures highlight regional disparities in immunisation efforts.
Although Nigeria was declared free of wild poliovirus in 2020, the country continues to battle circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). Globally, countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan still struggle with wild poliovirus, underscoring the need for continued vigilance and immunisation efforts worldwide.
In 2016, a survey indicated that the third dose of the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine (DPT3) coverage in northern Nigeria ranged from 1 per cent to 63 per cent across various districts – far below the 80 per cent target. This underscores the need for targeted interventions in specific local government areas (LGAs) to improve immunisation rates.
To boost vaccination coverage, volunteer community mobilizers (VCMs) have been instrumental in raising awareness and countering misinformation about polio vaccination. In northern Nigeria, VCMs engage directly with families, addressing concerns and emphasising the importance of immunisation. Their grassroots efforts have significantly contributed to increased vaccine acceptance.
The Nigerian government, in collaboration with global partners, aims to interrupt all poliovirus transmission, including cVDPV, by the end of 2026.
Achieving this goal requires enhanced routine immunisation, swift outbreak responses and robust surveillance systems to monitor and address new cases promptly.
