As Nigeria grapples with the ongoing transmission of poliovirus, a media dialogue has brought renewed attention to the urgent need for sustained engagement, accurate public information, and collective action to meet the goal of eradicating polio by the end of 2025.
The Media Dialogue on Polio Eradication, held at Mogadishu Metro Hotel in Kaduna, convened a large gathering of journalists, on-air personalities (OAPs), and social media influencers to strengthen the role of the media in mobilising communities for polio vaccination.
Participants discussed the impact of media coverage on public attitudes towards vaccination and explored how OAPs and digital influencers can serve as effective messengers in promoting immunisation through their platforms.
The forum highlighted past successes in vaccination campaigns, the positive impact on affected children and communities, and encouraged media practitioners to take an active role in:
- Disseminating accurate information
- Mobilising caregivers using tools such as the Hausa version of the “No More Zero Dose” song, public service announcements (PSAs), and simplified one-liners
- Documenting campaigns
- Holding stakeholders accountable, including government actors and development partners
Speaking at the event, Dr Idris Baba, UNICEF Field Officer in Kaduna, underscored the persistent transmission of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) despite intensified efforts in 2024.
“Although detections dropped from 166 in 2023 to 122 in 2024, the number of children paralysed by cVDPV2 has risen—from 46 to 98 in the past three years,” he said, pointing to gaps in outbreak control.
As of Week 19 in 2025, new detections include:
- 17 from Acute Flaccid Paralysis cases, 7 from environmental samples, 1 from a healthy child
- These were reported across 9 states and 19 LGAs, predominantly in the North, with one case recorded in Oyo State.
- A polio virus type 3 detection in Yobe also raises alarm over low type 3 immunity levels.
Dr Baba noted that over 400 media mentions were generated through media dialogues and appearances across northern Nigeria during World Immunisation Week and the April 2025 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs).
“Sustaining the massive media engagement from April throughout the year is critical,” he said. “We must outnumber misinformation by amplifying stories of success and resilience.”
He stressed that collective action is essential to meeting the 2025 eradication goal:
“We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. We have all the right tools. The oral polio vaccine has reduced paralysis due to polioviruses globally by 99.9%.”
From 1988 to 2021, the oral polio vaccine is estimated to have prevented 24 million cases of childhood paralysis globally.
However, due to the highly contagious nature of poliovirus, even a single case poses a global threat.
