At least 77 new cases of poliomyelitis have been recorded in 10 northern states in Nigeria, a top government official said on Saturday.
The executive director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Ado Mohammed, disclosed this in northern Sokoto State at a polio sensitization meeting with 35 northern emirs.
The existing cases of the wild polio virus were prevalent in 209 wards of 30 local governments of the nation, Mohammed told his audience.
According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan was fully committed to the total eradication of the disease from the West African country by the end of this year.
He said the president had set up a presidential task force on polio eradication and that he has the political will and determination in this direction.
Mohammed told his audience that the Nigerian leader has also doubled domestic funding for the ongoing efforts to totally interrupt the transmission of the disease.
"Only Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently harboring the disease globally and this is a source of concern for all the stakeholders," he added.
"We want to make sure that all the affected communities are adequately reached with all the hitherto missed children fully immunized against polio and other child killer diseases," Mohammed said.
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