As the world prepares to mark the 2018 World Polio Day, Rotary International clubs have advocated for clean and hygienic environment to end transmission of the ailment.
Flagging off the World Polio Day programme on Saturday, October 29, 2918 in Abuja, the incident manager, National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio, Director National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Usman Adamu said the environmental component was key to eradicating polio in Nigeria.
He said though there was no reported case of polio in the past 25 months, there were evidences of polio viruses in the environment.
Dr Usman, who represented the executive director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said though the country was close to eradicating polio, all hands must be on deck to achieve a polio-free generation.
“In 2012, 100 cases of polio were reported across Nigeria; the last was seen in 2016.
“We have come a long way, 25 months without a case of wild polio type. We are close, but we are not there yet, we are still seeing polio viruses in the environment,” he said.
The vice chairman, Nigeria National Polioplus Committee, Dr Kazeem Mustapha, said it was not yet uhuru for the fight against polio in Nigeria.
Dr Kazeem said the advocacy was to ensure that the tempo was maintained by getting every child immunised against polio and other diseases.
He added that different campaign platforms were engaged by Rotary International to create awareness and increase sensitivity in individuals, organisations and encourage stakeholders not to be complacent.
The Managing Director, United Healthcare Ltd., Dr Kolawole Owaka, called on Nigerians to imbibe healthy lifestyles to ensure a healthy living.
He said healthy living should not stop with good food but exercises.
Owaka recommended that there should be gymnasium centres in all the local governments where people could go to and partake in aerobic exercise to remove waste products from the body.
He added that the united healthcare, which promotes good health, does not believe in curative but rather steps to prevent diseases and other ailments.
The World polio Day will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 24.
By Adewumi Bukola
