The Kwara State Government on Thursday disinfected major rivers and adjoining areas in the Ilorin metropolis after health officials recently discovered a polio virus inside the river, a step the government said was to quickly prevent a reoccurrence of vaccine-derived polio cases in the state.

The exercise was part of the activities commemorating the World Polio Day and deepening the campaign against all forms of environment abuses that are capable of posing health hazards to the people, according to Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi who led the programme.

“Government is aware of environmental challenges in the state and would spare no effort in fixing them. River Amule is one of the rivers with polio infection threat and we needed to clear this river and other ones to eliminate polio totally out of the state", Alabi stated this at Amule in Ilorin East Local Government area of the state at the flag off of the cleaning exercise.

Alabi said the government will continue to educate the public to imbibe the habit of keeping their environment clean.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had recently inaugurated a Task Force chaired by the Deputy Governor to ensure proper and timely immunisation against polio and other diseases.

Organized by the state Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Thursday’s sanitation programme was attended by environmental health workers, volunteer students of the University of Ilorin and members of the Rotary Club.

Amosa Isiaka Al-Amin, Permanent Secretary of the Environment Ministry, said the choice of Amule River for the flag off of the clean-up exercise followed a WHO's survey on the polio threatening rivers in the city, where Amule emerged as one that mostly harbours polio virus.

“We found out that this river is one of the rivers that harbour polio virus which means there is the need for its clean-up. The state government has purchased some chemicals that can render the virus impotent and that is why we commence the mop-up exercise here,” according to Al-Amin.

He decried the rising menace of indiscriminate dumping of refuse and open defecation in the city, noting that it does not only constitute environmental challenge but it is also a threat to public health.

Al-Amin listed other places where public enlightenment will hold to include Alanamu, Sabojo - along Abdulazeez Attah road and Offa Garage, all in the capital city.

Otunba Rick Oladele, Chairman of Health Committee, Rotary Club of Ilorin, lamented that Nigeria remains the only endemic nation in the African Sub-region on the WHO's polio map. He said the club would soon organise a mega walk to further educate the public on the subject.

Miss Lateefah AbdulKarim, President of the University of Ilorin Students' One Health Initiative (UNILOSOHI), emphasised the need for parents to present their children for vaccination to make them healthy and prevent diseases.

AbdulKarim called on residents of Ilorin to maintain a cleaner and safer environment in order to live a healthy life.

“People should be able to understand that the environment is very important to their health and well-being and it must be taken seriously to avert outbreak of diseases,” she added.


Yusuf Folashade
Press Secretary
Ministry of Environment and Forestry
24 October, 2019.


https://www.fidelinfo.com/2019/10/24/world-polio-day-kwara-disinfects-rivers-other-places-to-stem-polio/

That's a good one.

If the government half-cared about some of these issues, they'll be solved easily.
However, I can only deduce one conclusion from what the government official said. Sanitation is a huge problem in Nigeria. If they can solve that, most epidemic and disease would go away.

F

Kwarians are getting what they deserve, a functional Government.

These people self!
On world polio day, boom! Polio is found in a river
Boom! allocation is quickly provided to disinfect the river
Boom! problem is solved
Boom! everybody is happy

My take, they shouldn’t for whatever selfish interest put their state in the spotlight for the wrong reason.

Polio inside the river? Tell me more...

Polio inside the river? Tell me more. Who discover it?

HonMike:


“People should be able to understand that the environment is very important to their health and well-being and it must be taken seriously to avert outbreak of diseases,” she added.


Yusuf Folashade
Press Secretary
Ministry of Environment and Forestry
24 October, 2019.


https://www.fidelinfo.com/2019/10/24/world-polio-day-kwara-disinfects-rivers-other-places-to-stem-polio/

Hmmn. Man is yet to conquer viruses to a large extent unlike bacterial infections. The micro organisms still holding man to ransom are mainly viral ẹ.g. HIV, HBV, HCV, EBOLA, LASSA fever, and other viral hemorrhagic fevers, DENGUE fever, INFLUENZA VIRUS, ROTA Virus, RABIES virus, NIPAH virus, ZIKA virus, YELLOW FEVER virus, etc.

Make dem sha pity us. I always take such news with a pinch of salt. PoLiO is now Politicians Living On the infection just like we no longer talk about People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWH) but rather People Living On HIV (PLOH) cos HIV is a money spinner. That's why we have many people and organisations focusing on it when we have other equally dangerous infectious diseases like HBV, HCV etc.

Make Baba God protect us and our loved ones from all these infections sha.

Wagasigiungu:


Hmmn. Man is yet to conquer viruses to a large extent unlike bacterial infections. The micro organisms still holding man to ransom are mainly viral ẹ.g. HIV, HBV, HCV, EBOLA, LASSA fever, and other viral hemorrhagic fevers, DENGUE fever, INFLUENZA VIRUS, ROTA Virus, RABIES virus, NIPAH virus, ZIKA virus, YELLOW FEVER virus, etc.

Make dem sha pity us. I always take such news with a pinch of salt. PoLiO is now Politicians Living On the infection just like we no longer talk about People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWH) but rather People Living On HIV (PLOH) cos HIV is a money spinner. That's why we have many people and organisations focusing on it when we have other equally dangerous infectious diseases like HBV, HCV etc.

Make Baba God protect us and our loved ones from all these infections sha.

True talk.