Nigeria Polio Eradication Support Project

Start & End Date: 2012-Ongoing

Country/Countries: Nigeria

Multilateral Institution(s) Involved: World Bank, World Health Organization, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund

Immunization coverage in children from 12-23 months to polio in Nigeria was on average 50% in 2015. Results from the 2015 Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition (SMART) household survey (conducted from July to September 2015) indicate that the North East performs poorly compared to the rest of the country. A major reason for this is that the North East has been struggling with the threat of violent extremism over the past eight. It has been the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency which has led to a rapid increase of internally displaced persons (IDPs), estimated at over 2.0 million people, as well as the displacement of 170,000 Nigerians as refugees in neighboring countries.

The development objective of Polio Eradication Support Project for Nigeria is to assist the recipient, as part of a global polio eradication effort, to achieve and sustain at least eighty percent coverage with oral polio vaccine immunization in every state in the recipient's territory, and sustain national routine immunization coverage. It is implemented by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency of Nigeria. The project has the following three components: 1. Supply of Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) to national strategic cold stores, 2. Polio Eradication Operations Support, and 3. Routine Immunization (RI) Support. The project will help to finance the costs associated with polio eradication in all the states in Nigeria and the procurement of vaccines for RI for children under 5 years and women of reproductive age.

According to the recent Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys, every state has surpassed the 80 percent benchmark for the coverage of OPV. More impressive is that 98 percent of high-risk local governmental areas have met that standard despite persistent insecurity. Given the progress on improving coverage and the 21 months since the last confirmed case of Wild Polio Virus, the project is rated satisfactory.