A leading pharmaceutical firm has congratulated Nigerians after the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the country has been declared officially polio free.
Emzor Pharmaceuticals Ltd through its Head, Vaccines Sales and Strategy, Chukwu Ekwe, expressed the company’s delight on the fear, whilst highlighting of the strides the company took to ensure total eradication of the infectious disease and other strategic plans to sustain the status.
In 2012, Nigeria accounted for more than half of polio cases worldwide, according to WHO. This created a need for urgent intervention and registration of vaccines and other relevant medication.
Emzor Vaccines subsequently registered the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) as the most promoted vaccine in its portfolio with a huge level of investment in line with the vision of Global Polio Eradication Initiative to eradicate the infectious disease.
He said: “We had made our research and found that inactivated polio vaccine was essential in combating the infectious disease and we sought to introduce and ensure its usage in the country. The Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisation (GAVI) and World Health Organisation (WHO), insisted that all countries worldwide must adopt Inactivated Polio Vaccine for the eradication of polio.”
Ekwe added: “Their endorsement of the IPV for all the countries of the world proved that Emzor was looking into the future when they initiated the registration and use of Inactivated Polio Vaccine. Inactivated Polio Vaccine entered the National Immunisation Programme in 2014 and now Nigeria has been declared polio free through the use of Oral Polio Vaccine and Inactivated Polio Vaccine. You cannot talk about the eradication of Polio in Nigeria without mentioning Emzor for our vital role. We will not stop there; we will continuously sensitise the people on the need to take vaccines seriously and adequately to maintain the status.
He said although the country is polio-free, continuous sensitisation and monitoring must be done to ensure that a rapid response is available in the case of re-emergence of the virus.
