Nigeria has been declared polio free by the Africa Regional Certification Commission.
The WHO in a statement noted that since the eradication of small pox almost 40 years ago, this marks a second virus extinction not only in Nigeria but the African continent.
Health workers and donors were commended by the organization for their timely and selfless efforts in saving children’s lives that have been affected by the disease.
“Thanks to the relentless efforts by governments, donors, frontline health workers and communities, up to 1.8 million children have been saved from the crippling lifelong paralysis.”
It should be noted that since this year only Afghanistan and Pakistan have recorded cases, while a reported $90 billion has been spent on the disease over a 30 year period.
