After months of certification processes, Nigeria was yesterday declared free of wild polio virus by the World Health Organisation (WHO), after three consecutive years of non-record of wild polio outbreak in any part of the country.
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country in February, some experts were afraid some hiccups might once again occur and deny Nigeria another opportunity of being declared free of polio.
The long awaited news, which broke out on the official twitter handle of the WHO yesterday, noted that Nigeria’s status as regards the wild polio virus was declared after a complete documentation process by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
The twitter account states: “Today, Nigeria’s complete documentation for Wild Polio virus free status was accepted by the Africa Regional Certification Commission for polio eradication (ARCC).
“It is a historic day for Nigeria, Africa and the Global Polio Programme.”
However, a date for the official handover of the certificate to the Federal Government is expected to be announced soon.