WHO Declares Borno Polio Free
BEVERLY HILLS, CA, May 24, (THEWILL) â€' The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared Borno State free of polio, saying the state did not record a single case of the viral disease from January till date.
Making the declaration at the premises of the at the Yerwa Clinic during the inauguration of this year's polio immunisation exercise in the state, the WHO Representative in charge of Borno State, Dr. M. Mahmud, said since the beginning of the year to date, there has not been any recorded case of polio virus going by the analysis and monitoring exercise of WHO.
Mahmud assured that the health agencies and other donor agencies in the state, including UNICEF would continue to give their assistance to the efforts of the state.
The WHO representative disclosed that the global agency would continue to support the health ministry and other health organisations in the provision of health care facilities and training of health workers for the immunisation exercise.
In her speech at the occasion, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Salma Anas Kolo, said the state government had shown great interest and concern for maternal healthcare and was doing everything possible to eradicate polio totally. She commended Governor Kashim Shettima for his efforts and acknowledged the support of the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the battle to rid the state of polio.
She said the state government had introduced free maternal drugs for pregnant women on both anti-natal and post-natal treatment at all the government hospitals and clinics as part of the initiative of the governor's wife, Hajiya Nana Kashim Shettima, to support health programmes in the state.
She therefore advised the women to continue to patronise the government health centres in their localities especially for anti-natal and post-natal services.
Hajiya Nana Kashim Shettima, who was represented by the state commissioner of women affairs and social development, Hajiya Inna Galadima, in her remark, while inaugurating the polio immunisation exercise, said due to the importance attached to maternal and infant healthcare services in the state, Governor Shettima has severally supported and assisted health programmes and projects across the state, saying hundreds of millions of naira had been invested in such projects.
She appealed to the women to explore the opportunities provided at the health centres and pray for the government to continue to serve them better and more.
She noted that probity has been given to the health sector in the state since the inception of the Shettima administration, saying the result was the international recognition and reward the governor bagged recently from the Bill Gates Foundation in USA on polio immunisation.
She then announced a donation of a wrapper, mosquito net and N1,000 cash to each of the women and mothers present at the occasion, appealing to them to continue to cooperate and support the state government by utilising the health facilities provided for them.