WHO Harps On Intensive Sensitisation On Polio

Sequel to the recent reemergence of the Poliomyelitis in the country, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed the need for an intensive durveillance and dearch of the virus by the Medical Surveillance Team and subsequent reportage for follow up and cure.
The WHO Cluster Consultant, Rivers State, Dr. Edmund Egbe stated this during an interview with The Tide shortly after the stakeholders awareness meeting on Maternal / Neonatal and Child Health the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, last Tuesday.
Egbe said that intensive community based sensitisation would also aid the awareness and containment of the disease.
Egbe, who noted that the organization was poised to intervening in children and mothers survival said community surveillance and reportage of children-prone diseases was vital in eliminating the disease in the state and country in general.
He said\; “Surveillance aspect is needful to balance our programmes and this entails community searching  and reporting of these cases. By this, such diseases like poliomyelitis and others would be eradicated among us”.
“Sensitisation at the local communities is very low. People do not seem to know fully the symptoms of polio and when this manifests, they seek for spiritual help, treat it locally thereby losing the benefits of medical interventions by the health agencies and so, we need to intensify our search for the virus especially at the local communities, look out for the virus and symptoms related to suspected cases, vaccinate and immunise”, Egbe stated.
While noting that Nigeria was seeking to eradicate poliomyelitis, the State WHO Cluster Consultant maintained that the organisation would partner with both Federal  and State governments to ensuring that the nation is free of the disease.
Egbe further urged the public to partner with medical agencies and facilities by reporting sudden weakness of the limbs/legs by children below 15 years for immediate medical attention.
It would be recalled that Nigeria had been free of poliomyelitis from 2014 until August 21, 2016 when the wild polio virus was confirmed in Maiduguri.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu