By Patrick Dele Cole
Since the conception
of Nigeria
as an independent country it has struggled with a number of deadly viruses and
diseases. The most prominent and reoccurring have been polio, Lassa fever and
yellow fever. These three have plagued parts of the country for many years and
appear sporadically, peaking and dipping throughout the country’s history.
Under colonial rule vaccinations were kept for the expatriates and British
citizens in the country. The indigenous population was mostly ignored and this
allowed the viruses to spread unchecked throughout the country. It wasn’t until
later in the country’s history that measures were taken to slow the spread and
commence eradication of the disease.
The return of the
polio virus in 2016 sparked a mass emergency vaccination campaign. The return
was seen in two young children in the Northern part of the country, in areas
affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. The return of the polio virus is especially
disheartening for the country because it was a year away from being declared
polio free by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO guidelines state a
country must not experience any new cases of the wild polio virus for three
years before being declared polio free. The return of polio can be attributed
to presence of Boko Haram. The insurgency has made it very difficult to get
necessary treatment and vaccines to that area of the country, allowing polio to
creep back in.