The federal government has approved the release of N9.8bn to fight wild polio resurgence in the country, especially in the North East, Leadership reports.
The minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, said the money would be released by Monday.
This is just as he said Nigerian pilgrims going on hajj to Saudi Arabia were expected to undergo “compulsory immunisation against polio as one of the conditions for entering the holy land.”
Prof. Adewole added that adequate supplies of vaccines had been provided at different international port health locations and airports in line with the international health regulations.
He further disclosed that the new response plan would inlcude five rounds of polio campaigns, three of which would be focused on 18 Northern states and two to be conducted nationwide.
“We have earmarked N9.8bn for polio and by Monday the entire N9.8bn will be released. For the sub-national campaigns, 31, 540, 054 children are targeted to be vaccinated each round with oral vaccines across states in the North-East, North-West and North-Central zones of the country. For the nationwide response, 56, 363, 618 children will be vaccinated between October and November 2016.
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