Polio Endemic: ‘Nigeria, 3 Others, Most Infested’

Nigeria is among the four countries in the world where the deadly scourge of polio, the child killer disease is still endemic.

Assistant Governor Zone 4, of the Rotary Foundation, Ijeoma Okoro who disclosed this at the International Night of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, said Nigeria was rated with Pakistan, Afghanistan and India where the polio scourge is still prevalent.

In line with Rotary Foundation objective to eradicate polio in the world,  Okoro said the polio plus programme was launched in 1988 to provide funding for mass immunisation campaign as well as volunteer support services for social mobilisation.

Okoro, who represented the District Governor, 9140, Sir Gabriel Toby, said; “over two billion children under the age of five had received the polio vaccine and five million people are walking today while the number of polio cases has declined by 99 per cent world wide.”

She re-affirmed the commitment of the Rotary foundation towards the total eradication of polio, and called for collective efforts at achieving the objective.

In her remark, President Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, Central District, 9140, Lizzy Oba, commended all Rotarians for their humanitarian gesture and reminded them that the challenges of eradicating polio require a lot of personnel efforts and commitments to secure the future of children world over.

Sunday Nwachukwu who spoke on the role of Rotary foundation in the Niger Delta crisis, said the Foundation by its guiding principles of peace and humanitarian service was critical to the resolution of the Niger Delta crisis.

He appealed to Rotarians to create a well-informed public opinion that will affect government policies positively and foster peace and development in the embattled oil-rich Niger Delta region.

Highlights of the event was the investiture and decoration of qualified Rotarians as Paul Harrio Fellows, by former District Governor, Odiliyi Lolomari.

Taneh Beemene