Nigeria to be certified polio-free in January - Minister

According to the Minister of Health, Halliru Alhassan, Nigeria is expected to be certified polio-free in January 2015.

Alhassan stated this on Thursday, January 1, during a meeting with journalists in Sokoto State, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The minister reportedly said that no new case of the disease had been recorded in Nigerian in the last six months and this makes the country eligible to be certified polio-free.

“This is because only six cases of the wild polio virus were recorded in the last six months in Kano and Jigawa states. This feat is a remarkable departure from the nearly 52 WPV cases the country recorded during the same period under review in 2013,” Alhassan said.

“With this happy development, we are optimistic that Nigeria will be completing the six months required to be declared polio-free by this month. The country has indeed made tremendous progress in ensuring the total eradication of polio and it would be sustained,” he added.

The minister stated further that the Federal Government had also eradicated Ebola and Guinea worm and would endeavour to sustain its medical successes.