The World Health Organisation has officially
certified Nigeria as a Guinea Worm-Free
Country, the Minister of Health, Prof.
Onyebuchi Chukwu said in Abuja on
Wednesday.
Chukwu disclosed this while presenting the
WHO certificate of clean bill of health, to
President Goodluck Jonathan at the State
House.
The ceremony was held during the first
Federal Executive Council meeting in 2014,
which was presided over by the President at
the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa.
Chukwu said that sequel to the alarming
rate of guinea worm disease in the country
the Nigeria Guinea Worm Eradication
Programme was established in 1988.
He said that with the efforts of the NIGEP,
the country recorded its last case of guinea
worm disease in November 2008.
The Minister, who spoke shortly before
handing the certificate to the President, said
that from 2008 till date, over 900 GWD
rumour reports were received and
investigated nationwide.
He, however, said that none of the cases
was found to be guinea worm disease.
Responding, Jonathan said that it was a
milestone attainment which coincided with
the period “the country is marks its
centenary”.
He said the achievement further attested to
the government’s efforts at ensuring that
the country was rid of all kinds of endemic
diseases.
“The certification by WHO is a global
recognition of how far we have come and
the success of the work that has been done
to rid our nation of this scourge.
“Eradication of guinea worm disease that
has long plagued many parts of our country
has placed interminable burden on our
citizens.
“As a government, we have been working
very hard and today we have received the
good news,” he said.
Jonathan said that a lot had also been
achieved on wild polio eradication.
He said government would double its efforts
to also attain the status of a wild polio free
nation.
“Just as we have fought the incidence of
guinea worm and succeeded so are we
committed in our fight against HIV and AIDS
and many endemic diseases such as Malaria,
Tuberculosis and, of course, polio.
“While polio is yet to be eliminated in our
country, we have seen the impressive results
in the control of wild polio virus type three
transmission.
“We are hopeful that transmission of wild
polio will be interrupted this year, at least
before the end of the year,” the president
said.