A total of 15 children in six northern states in Nigeria and Abuja were paralysed by polio in the last one year (February 8, 2010 to February 8, 2011) according to the latest edition of an online newsletter, Countdown to Polio Eradication in Nigeria, which monitored the progress made by Nigeria in polio eradication.

The breakdown of the affected states and the number of children affected are : Kebbi (4); Zamfara (3); Sokoto (3); Borno (2); Katsina (1); Kano (1) and the FCT(1).

This is coming at a time when the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, assured that the country was capable of totally eliminating polio this year, saying that Nigeria had achieved a 98 per cent annual reduction.

“Nigeria can finish polio in 2011. We can win the fight against childhood killer diseases as many other countries have done. We have the tools and the knowhow. Combined with political will and leadership, Nigerian children can claim their right to grow up healthy,” Pate said in a statement.

He said Nigeria was ranked first among the four remaining countries (Nigeria; India; Afghanistan and Pakistan) in the world that were yet to completely eradicate polio.

“To completely eradicate polio in Nigeria, every child under five in every city, village and settlement must receive oral polio vaccine multiple times,” Pate advised