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HEALTH
INTERACTIVE WITH DR. AMINU MAGASHI The Task Before the Arewa Media Forum April
22, 2004 Going
by the pronouncement of National Programme On Immunization ( NPI ), the
third round of National Immunization Days ( NIDs ) will hold
between 24th and 27th, April, 04, this is in pursuance
of the federal government's determination to interrupt the transmission
of polio virus and put a final push to the polio eradication by
the end of 2004. In some states in northern Nigeria, if at all they are
participating in the NID, theirs would be the first round of NID, a
typical example is Kano state which has not participated in the first
and second round of NID , due to the fact that , its committee of
investigation on polio had discovered a contaminant within the vaccine
it received from NPI. Whether
Kano is participating or not, that left to be seen, up to the time I am
writing this piece, there was no pubic statement by the state on that
matter, however information emanating from the federal government is
that, the FG has abandoned the former vaccines being used in the country
and has ordered a fresh ones from a different manufacturers and in a
different country entirely and states are enjoyed to collect their
allocation at random. Well, on that development, we hope the vaccines
this time around are free of such contaminants discovered before. The
lesson learnt over the polio controversy indicated that almost all the
antagonists of polio eradication all willing to resume eradication
as long as the vaccines are free of contamination. Also as mentioned in
the past, Kano state government is reportedly willing to stage a come
back if they are convince that the vaccine are free and safe, if that is
confirmed, we expect the Mallam Shekarau administration to honourably
make a statement on the willingness of the state to commence the
process of NIDs, the state, the country and the world in general
cannot afford to have another child crippled courtesy of this imbroglio
that is supposed to have being put to rest long ago. Just
as all stakeholders are gearing up for the exercise , a very pathetic,
unexpected and disheartening message hit the internet on 14th, April,
2004 on the World Health Organization's Website ( WHO ), the story
entitled ' polio virus has been reported in Botswana, a country
which had been polio free since 1991, the virus has been closely linked
genetically to polio virus endemic to northern Nigeria , the case - a
seven year old boy from Ngami district of north- western Botswana had
onset of paralysis on 8th February, 04. it went further to say that, as
of March, 2004 , all states in Nigeria with the exception of Kano
has resumed mass polio immunization activities, the polio case in
Botswana underlies the magnitude of the risk posed to polio free areas
by the polio outbreaks in west and central Africa and is compounded by
the growing vulnerability of populations to polio globally, following
cessation of preventive polio immunization campaigns in most polio free
countries in 2002/03. Children across Africa will continue to be at risk
of polio from such importations until the disease is eradicated every
where. When
ever a selected case of onset of paralysis due to polio virus is
discovered in some African countries, WHO is always ever ready and
willing to point a one directional accusing finger to northern Nigeria,
it has happened before when some cases were discovered in some
previously polio free countries like Benin, Burkino Faso, Cameroon,
Chad, Cote D 'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and now Botswana. It is glaringly
obvious that one directional accusation certainly is not the best option
and such portrays the respected body as being myopic and appears to be
used and hijacked politically to cajole and intimidate northern states
particularly Kano to accept polio immunization despite its short comings
in terms of advocacy and implementation in Nigeria. WHO
should have done better like in the case of Botswana case to compare the
genetic component of the newly discovered virus and the ones stored in
1991 when the last case of polio was seen in that country . I will like
to remind the world body that polio eradication initiative is not in any
way wiping out the polio virus from earth surface, a natural
organism found in water and soil, but rather the programme and
the vaccination is only interrupting chain of transmission of polio
virus , hence the eradication of the disease , as such, if there is any
new case of the disease in some previously free countries,
it could be possible that a contamination has taken place between
sewage and soil or water with the
food of such community and through feco- oral route the virus enters
a non immune child. Never the less, it is still possible for the virus
to reach other African countries from northern Nigeria, but that route
is very remote and the chance is very rear. After
saying all these, with delight when I received a formal invitation to
attend an interactive section being organized by Arewa Media Forum (AMF)
at Arewa House in Kaduna state on Saturday, 17th, April 04, I accepted
such gesture with the hope of attending to rub minds with other
stakeholders with the aim of moving forward on polio controversy. The
theme of the conference " lessons learned on polio
controversy for immunization progrmme in Nigeria had provided a flat
form to look back with the hope of urging ahead for the survival,
protection, participation and development of Nigerian children . I am
aware that a communiqué would be release for the public to know all
about the conference, how ever, never the less, the aim of this write up
is to call the attention of the AMF that what they did by bringing
stakeholders on that interactive session was to provide a means to carry
the courageous effort beyond that one day meeting, because certainly if
they stop at that level, it is tantamount to puncturing a fresh wound
without providing a treatment. I personally see AMF as a twin sister to
Arewa Consultative Forum ( ACF ), while the latter is addressing issues
towards political solutions, the former is addressing issues toward
developmental solutions ., which polio saga to me is one of
such. In
line with that, I envisaged the need for AMF to facilitate the emergence
of an advocacy committee derived from media moguls, civil societies,
activist, academicians, health and social experts who will be tasked
with the following responsibility, amongst others. 1.
Providing advocacy to international donor agencies (IDAs) to have a
grasp of the health needs of our societies and the best approach to
address such, that form of advocacy will assist the IDAs to be able to
properly prioritize, understand certain grey areas to achieve maximum
results. 2.
Advocacy to federal institutions and states to ensure implementing
people oriented projects and investing more in health. 3.
Advocacy to other stakeholders and gate keepers in form of writing,
discussion, visitation and organizing fora with the aim of sensitization
and awareness creation to conform and reach a consensus with genuine
international health agendas and programmes. |