The Rivers state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tamunoiyoriari Parker says the Rivers state government has successfully kicked polio, one of the dreaded diseases that cripple children, out of the state.
Dr. Parker dropped the hint during a broadcast to mark the first National Immunization Plus Days, (IPDs) campaign against polio disease in 2012, at the weekend, in Port Harcourt.
He used the occasion to congratulate the people of Rivers State and the administration of Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi on the remarkable gains so far to collectively eradicate polio disease from the state.
The health commissioner explained that polio is a viral disease transmitted feaco-orally and causing acute flaccid paralysis in the young people leading to deformities and disabilities. He said Nigeria cannot afford to wait behind when there is a concerted effort by countries to quickly eradicate the disease in no distant time.
He said while the disease has no complete cure, eradication is the best bet, even though Nigeria still remains one of the countries that the polio virus is found.
Dr. Parker stated that to fight the disease, deliberate policy must be followed to overcome and eradicate it completely. Such policy thrust include, effective mass communication, health education and awareness creation, collaboration, surveillance and evaluation of eradication strategies.
He said despite the increase in the number of people effected nation-wide in 2011, only one case of polio disease was confirmed in Rivers state in May, 2007 and in the past five years Rivers State has a clean bill of health on the polio disease, which was achieved by collaborative efforts of stakeholders and agencies in the state coupled with the deliberate effort of the state government to eradicate the disease.
The health commissioner posited that the state government through the ministry of Health has engaged in a sustainable grassroots oriented polio vaccination campaign, with the free medical care programme which has improved patient and client confidence and relationship in the delivering of health care service by the state government, buttressing that the model primary health care centres have become vehicle to facilitate the administration of immunization services as well as other preventive and therapeutic services.
To overcome the disease, the commissioner suggested that cleaning the environment, personal hygiene, proper refuse disposal, regular washing of hands are vital factors that will help in interrupting the spread of the virus.
The commissioner said the House to House polio immunization has already commenced in the state since Saturday 18th February 2012, which will include, churches, schools, playground, health facilities and all settlements and children less than five years of age should be made available even as the child rights law No. 10 of 2009 guarantees the right of the child to be immunized. He called on men, women, community leaders, religious and traditional leaders to mobilize their wards to receive vaccination against the virus free of charge. ###
Pius Dukor
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