U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, MaryBeth Leonard, has congratulated the government and people of Nigeria for attaining a wild poliovirus-free status after years of great efforts.
The Public Affairs Department of the U.S Embassy in Abuja disclosed this in a statement of Friday.
The certification comes after four years without any reported cases of polio in Nigeria and following an in-depth review and acceptance of the country’s certification documentation.
According to the statement, Leonard in a Town Hall meeting with Polio eradication stakeholders and Embassy staff lauded Nigeria’s efforts to be removed from the list of wild polio endemic countries.
“We are proud of our partnership with Nigeria and cherish the cooperation that ensures the country has the technical expertise and resources required for success.
“No country could have achieved this great feat without the support of its partners.”
She said the United States is committed to continue its partnership with Nigeria as it consolidates and builds upon its successes in fighting polio, including strengthening routine immunization, and improving the health of children and their families.
Leonard said she is confident that Nigeria has strategies in place to ensure the gains made in the polio eradication efforts are not lost and that the momentum achieved in achieving this certification continues.
She expressed confidence in Nigeria maintain the momentum, stating that despite the certification, a resurgence of polio can still occur.
“It is therefore critical that the country’s disease surveillance system is sensitive enough to quickly detect and respond to diseases,” Leonard added.
The U.S Ambassador to Nigeria further recognised the role of the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Leonard said the agencies were at the forefront of partnering with the people of Nigeria toward polio eradication efforts in the country.
She said since 2012, the CDC and USAID have invested approximately $150 million and 70 million dollars respectively, toward Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts.
The agencies work in Nigeria at the state and local levels to strengthen surveillance, polio campaigns, polio outbreak response efforts, and routine immunization.
Implementing partners include: the African Field Epidemiology Network, Core Group Partners Program, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, UNICEF, and Word Health Organization.
