Nigeria is on the verge to win the war on Polio as the country has recorded zero case of the virus in the despite Boko Haram activities that have hampered the fight against the disease, The Nation reports.
This landmark was achieved on Friday July 24 as the country did not record a single case of the virus. Reuters predicted that the country could be delisted from countries that are still battling with the disease in a few weeks, when the World Health Organisation (WHO) can confirm that the last sample taken by WHO for examination is free of the disease.
It was learnt that this achievement could put pressure on Pakistan, which still have most reported case of the virus, to work on hard on containing the disease.
Nigeria has had a polio-free period from July 24, 2014, which is said to be the i longest it has gone without recording a case.
Experts are on the view that by next month, the whole of Africa countries will have gone a full year without recording the disease, which was spotted last in Somalia on August 11, 2014.
With this news, polio would be the second human disease after smallpox to be eradicated.
“It’s an extraordinary achievement. It really shows the value of government leadership and taking ownership of the programme,” said Carol Pandak, the director of Rotary International’s polio program.
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