NPHCDA: Nigeria recorded 1,060 cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus in two years

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) says Nigeria has recorded 1,060 cases of the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type two (cVPV2) in two years.

Faisal Shuaib, executive director of NPHCDA, said this on Monday during the 38th expert review committee meeting on polio and routine immunisation.

In communities with low immunisation rates, since the virus is spread from one unvaccinated child to another over a long period of time, it can mutate and take on a form that can cause paralysis just like the wild poliovirus.

This mutated poliovirus can then spread in communities, leading to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus.

Shuaib said the polio variant has been “of immense concern”, and that it has been reported in 29 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

He said following the reports of an outbreak of the wild poliovirus in Malawi about two years after Africa was declared polio-free, the federal government is doing everything possible to stop the spread of the vaccine-derived poliovirus in the country.

“The 37th ERC had offered us guidance on how to contain cVPV2 spread, which has unfortunately now spread more to affect 29 states of the federation and FCT, including states in the southern zones of the country,” Punch quoted him as saying.

“One of this guidance was the use of novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2) which has been shown to be effective in halting the spread of cVPV2.

“So far, all the 36 states and the FCT have completed at least two rounds of nOPV2; 18 states have completed at least four rounds of nOPV2 outbreak response; three states have completed three rounds, while an additional 16 states have completed at least two rounds of nOPV2 outbreak response.

“Our surveillance system has remained robust despite the global COVID-19 pandemic that had a negative impact on the health system.

“In 2020, our surveillance had picked and detected 22 cases of CDVPV2; in 2021, 1,027 cases; and in 2022, 11 cases have already been detected.

“Although the figures may look scary, it is a demonstration that our surveillance system is effective, reliable and also means that if there is a wild poliovirus in circulation, it would have been detected.”