Nigeria revels the achievement of another milestone in health as the United Nations Health Agency and the World Health Organization announced late on Friday that the country has won the fight against one of the most debilitating diseases caused by a virus, Polio. It is no longer considered an endemic in the West African country.
The good news has created wide-spread happiness across the country as they were also able to fight Ebola last year. Their journey towards the eradication of Polio was not easy but with the team work done by health agencies and the constituents themselves, it became possible leaving only Pakistan and Afghanistan as countries where the disease is still present.
"It's a great moment for Nigeria," Dr. Tunji Funsho, chairman of Rotary International's anti-polio campaign in Nigeria, told The Associated Press. "We should celebrate but with a caveat that we should not let our guard down."
The announcement was made after Nigeria has surpassed a year without any cases of Polio. However, it will only be declared Polio-free if they will be able to maintain it for three years.
Meanwhile, Jean Gough, UNICEF country representative in Nigeria, told BBC News "This is an important milestone, but it is too early to celebrate. We need to continue the efforts at every level if polio is to be eradicated."
According to Medical News Today, polio or poliomyelitis is a highly contagious viral disease that can lead to permanent paralysis, breathing problems and sometimes death. Polio affects mostly children, pregnant women, older adults and those with suppressed immune systems. Some recover from the disease but most people end up with permanent paralysis.
There is still no cure for this disease but vaccination during infancy is deemed to be best preventive measure to avoid contracting the disease.
Nigeria's agenda starting now is to make sure no new cases would surface in the next two years so they could be declared polio-free. The WHO however warns that as long as countries are still experiencing rampant infections of polio, it will always still be a threat for children everywhere.