OCTOBER SITREP ON NIGERIAN POLIO ERADICATION EFFORTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 002129 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IHA DANO WILUSZ USAID FOR GH/HIDN ELLYN OGDEN, RICHARD GREENE USAID FOR AFR/SD MARY HARVEY CDC FOR NCIRD/GID/DEEB SUE GERBER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KISL PGOV SOCI ECON KOCI EAID NI SUBJECT: OCTOBER SITREP ON NIGERIAN POLIO ERADICATION EFFORTS REF: A. STATE 102802 ¶B. STATE 65054 ¶C. ABUJA 1591 ¶D. ABUJA 815 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - DO NOT DISTRIBUTE OUTSIDE USG. ¶1. (U) Per reftel A action requests, U.S. Mission provides this first in the new series of sitreps on the Nigerian government's polio eradication efforts. We suggest this sitrep be read in conjunction with refs C and D, which have previously reported on the Mission's efforts on the polio epidemic in general and our advocacy for eradication efforts in particular. ¶2. (SBU) Summary. U.S. Mission Nigeria Action Team on Polio held an interagency meeting on October 9 to assess the current situation and outline effective recommendations for addressing the growing concern regarding the spread of polio in Nigeria. Although there are some promising signs, the polio situation is still dire and requires continued and coordinated efforts by all parties. Polio cases, compared to this point in 2007, have more than tripled in 2008 from 223 to 740 in the 24 states. GON population projections from the 2006 census, underestimate the current actual population, making it difficult for accurate assessments of eligible children reached and those who remained unvaccinated at the end of each vaccination campaign. The team agreed on the need for continued high level engagement in country, within the region, and in Washington. It was also agreed to focus on engaging Local Government Area (LGA) Chairmen and State Health Commissioners and to launch a targeted mass media campaign to boost awareness and social mobilization in the northern states. The team will hold regular bi-weekly meetings to monitor the situation and make recommendations as necessary. Higher level advocacy efforts by the Chief of Mission will continue as noted in refs B - D with Governors, Emirs, and the President, including using opportunities to discuss polio at national forums or Africa regional events. Additionally, U.S. Mission suggests that Department push polio onto the agenda of all regional political meetings. End Summary. . Current In-Country Polio Status -------------- . ¶3. (U) As of October 24, 740 polio cases have been recorded across 24 states in Nigeria in 2008. This compares with 229 cases in 21 states for the same time period in 2007. Kano State in the North West Zone continues to lead the country with 263 cases (compared to 60 cases in 2007),followed by Zamfara State, also in the North West Zone, with 83 cases (compared with five cases in 2007). Nigeria has exported polio cases to at least three other countries in Africa so far this year, namely the Republic of Niger, Benin Republic, and Burkina Faso. . Frequency and Effectiveness of Vaccination Campaigns -------------- -------------- . ¶4. (U) Supplemental Immunization Activities (SIAs) have been conducted over the past several years, which involve the delivery of OPV through a house-to-house strategy to all children under five. In 2006 the SIA was modified to Immunization Plus Days (IPD) strategy, which includes the delivery of OPV at fixed posts (usually at a primary health clinic) and other child survival interventions such as insecticide treated bednets, de-worming medicines, and paracetamol syrup. While the strategy appears sound, the effect has not yet been fully realized as quantities of injectible antigens and add-ons are usually not in sufficient supply to match the target group. ¶5. (U) Monitoring by GON and partner representatives during the recent IPD mass campaign (August 23-26),reflect 94% coverage, though this should be interpreted with caution as target figures greatly underestimate the actual number of children under five. The percentage of children missed during the last several campaigns continues to hover around 6%. In Kano, during the August 2008 campaign, for example, 7% of children were reportedly not reached. Forty-nine percent of those were due to non-compliance, 8% due to households not visited, and 43% reportedly due to children's absence. In November an Integrated Measles Campaign (IMC) is planned to follow-up on the Measles campaigns held in December 2005 in Northern States, and December 2006 in Southern States. Specifically, the campaign will be held in Northern States between 26-30 November and in Southern States between 10-14 December. Integration of OPV and Vitamin A with measles vaccine are planned during those efforts. ABUJA 00002129 002 OF 003 ¶6. (U) U.S. Mission notes that surveillance data, which are generally considered to be the most reliable and representative, are dramatically at odds with both the administrative and monitoring data available. (Note: the surveillance data indicates children who have shown sudden onset of paralysis. End Note). Despite having conducted 17 rounds of immunization campaigns in Kano since 2006, only 19% of children in the state are seen in the surveillance system report as having been fully immunized with three or more OPV doses. In addition, the surveillance system data indicate that 34% of children from Kano State have never received polio vaccination. This means the vast majority of children in Kano remains vulnerable to one or more of the three types of polio and potentially contributes to the disease's transmission. Moreover, vaccine-derived polio virus continues to appear in at least nine northern states. The Sultan of Sokoto, leader of Nigeria's Muslim community, played a prominent role in administering OPV at the launch of the most recent IPD. Similarly, traditional leaders such as the Emir of Zazzau, the Executive Governors of Jigawa and Kebbi States played visible and supportive advocacy roles in the August campaign. However there are still some reservations with some state officials and LGA chairmen in Kano State. . Upcoming Vaccination Campaigns and Challenges -------------- . ¶7. (SBU) The next polio round will be included within the Integrated Measles Campaign (IMC),where children between 9-59 months will be given measles vaccine, while those from 0-59 months and 6-59 months will receive oral polio vaccine and vitamin A, respectively. The IMC is scheduled for November 26-30 in the north and December 10-14 in the south. Separate polio campaigns in the interim are not planned in the northern states, primarily due to lack of support from the Nigeria's National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) with the exception of outbreak mop-ups and Local Immunization Days (LIDs),held in LGAs with low routine immunization coverage. ¶8. (SBU) On October 17, the Executive Director of NPHCDA was abruptly removed from her position and replaced by a senior technical manager in the East Asia Division of the World Bank, Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate, a move universally welcomed. The Minister of Health convened a Joint Meeting of the Polio Eradication Initiative Task Force (PEITF) and the ICC in Abuja on October 20-21, including about a dozen state commissioners of health. The meeting provided a venue for very frank discussions over current IPD results and planning for the IMC. The USG, DFID, WHO and Rotary International representatives spoke forcefully and succinctly highlighting the need for effectiveness and measures of accountability for IPD campaigns. ¶9. (U) Another major challenge is the lack of public information on the spread of the virus leading to the mobilization of all sectors to eradicate the disease. WHO Nigeria, one of the four implementing partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (WHO, CDC, UNICEF, and Rotary International are the others) has recently launched a useful monthly newsletter under the banner "Count Down to Polio Eradication in Nigeria." The intended audience includes the GON, implementing partners, health workers, public and private sector organizations, and communities. The newsletter gives a breakdown of the polio situation on a state-by-state basis and the status of the polio eradication campaign and publicizes upcoming polio-related events and serves as a platform to entice other stakeholders to join the campaign. This needs to be augmented with an a "thumbs up/thumbs down" type of advocacy tool for rating the performance of individual states both to replicate best practices and induce more action in the fight against polio. U.S. Mission, in conjunction with other donor partners, is exploring the introduction of such a tool through cooperation with a reputable local media organization. ¶10. (U) Related to the public information deficit is the need for a frank national communications and social mobilization review. While a review in this area was led by UNICEF in July 2007, it did not lead to a clear and specific plan of action for improving public awareness and social mobilization. The review needs to be updated by the FMOH, NPHCDA and development partners to enable the crafting of a more effective social mobilization strategy. Administrative obstacles and distractions within the GON are additional challenges that need to be overcome if the fight against polio is to be successful. These include overcoming the turf battles to date between the NPHCDA directorate and the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) Task Force -- the appointment of a new Executive Director for NPHCD is a step in the right direction. In addition, bureaucratic delays at the state and local government levels on the release of ABUJA 00002129 003 OF 003 financial resources need to be overcome. Finally, there needs to be much better engagement with the GON Millennium Development Goals Office, which has recently emerged as a major funder of PEI activities. U.S. Mission will continue to discuss ways to overcome these challenges with appropriate GON interlocutors. . The Role of Religious, Traditional and Elected Leaders -------------- -------------- . ¶11. (U) Engagement of religious, traditional and elected leaders at all levels of government is increasing. As noted above, the Sultan of Sokoto, Nigeria's titular Islamic leader, publicly participated in the August immunization round by commissioning the campaign in Sokoto State and overseeing vaccination of children with OPV at his palace. Other traditional leaders, including the Emir of Kano, the Emir of Zazzau, and the Emir of Ilorin (who immunized his recently born twins in a public forum) and several Governors of Northern States (i.e. Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger) are taking a more public and active role in increasing immunization acceptance in their respective states. Challenges remain at the local level where LGA chairmen need to play a more active role in eradication efforts. LGA chairmen need to demand better accountability from immunization teams in their territory, introduce performance evaluations into hiring decisions for PEI activities, and demonstrate leadership through personal involvement in the IPDs. (Note: The Ambassador and Mission Polio Action Team are encouraging all USG officials visiting affected Nigerian states to pay courtesy calls on state commissioners of local government and LGA chairmen and encourage a more concerted effort within their respective administrative purview. End Note). . Comments and Recommendations -------------- . ¶12. (SBU) Advocacy by the Ambassador, other Mission officers and the international donor community (including through the May 25 WHO resolution) with a range of Nigerian officials right up to the level of President Yar'Adua (ref c) have helped drive home the point that Nigeria must take immediate and sustained action to eradicate polio. There have been some promising responses by the GON, but as yet no sustained follow-through. This is due in part to factors related to the broader political challenges facing the Yar'Adua Administration and is reflected in press stories criticizing the lack of progress on many priorities. ¶13. (U) The Mission will continue its advocacy efforts and intends to look for ways to encourage greater accountability from State Commissioners of Health and the state branches of NPHCDA, which are responsible for routine immunizations and play a critical role in implementing polio mass vaccination campaigns. The Mission also is deploying several senior staff from CDC and AID to continuously follow-up the situation on the ground in the northern states. Quicker disbursements of program funds at the state and local government levels are essential and post will advocate this at the federal level. We will also encourage targeted mass media campaigns (radio, TV, and print media) to build community awareness about vaccine preventable diseases in general and polio in particular. U.S. Mission is also promoting increased advocacy efforts with new partners such as the Gates Foundation and recommends that these be increased strategically to match bilateral and multilateral efforts. Advocacy work by OES, AID, and CDC with Washington offices of key partners such as UNICEF and WHO is recommended to increase the responsiveness of their respective country missions, and the Department can help to place polio eradication onto the agenda of international political meetings. ¶14. (U) This cable has been coordinated with Consulate Lagos. SANDERS