Nigeria has taken yet another step towards being confirmed wild polio-free after meeting the robust monitoring requirements to ensure that the virus does not resurface, tweeted the head of the country's primary health care agency. Dr Faisal Shuaib has defined it as "an amazing moment in history."
Nigeria was the last country on the mainland to have a wild polio case. This was August 2016. In 2012 the country accounted for more than half of all cases of polio around the world. Dr Shuaib tweeted that Nigeria's "polio-eradication documentation" has been accepted by the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC), adding the milestone will be formally confirmed next month.
iThe ARCC is an independent body commissioned by the World Health Organization to look into procedures for polio elimination. And according to health minister there, it has also authorised the processes in Cameroon, whereas WHO South Sudan tweeted a similar message for that country.
It must lead to high level of immunization coverage for a country to be asserted wild polio-free and demonstrate that there have been no transmissions for at least three consecutive years. It should also preserve a readiness system for oversight and outbreaks. Clarification: This post was revised to clarify that the countries have not yet been confirmed polio-free, and that the WHO is not the declaration body
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