The Lagos State Government will launch a statewide Polio Outbreak Response Campaign on Saturday, November 8, 2025, after detecting a variant of Poliovirus Type 2 in Makoko, Lagos Mainland.
The exercise, led by the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board in partnership with the NPHCDA, WHO, UNICEF, and others, aims to stop virus transmission and protect children from paralysis.
Permanent Secretary Dr. Ibrahim Mustafa said the virus was found during routine environmental surveillance, signaling possible ongoing spread in the densely populated riverine area.
To curb this, Lagos will conduct two rounds of house-to-house vaccination across all 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs, targeting all children under five, regardless of previous vaccination status. Each child will receive two drops of the novel Oral Polio Vaccine, approved by NAFDAC and the WHO.
Dr. Mustafa urged parents and community leaders to cooperate with health workers, warning that polio remains a threat until fully eradicated.
Nigeria recently recorded a 44% drop in vaccine-derived poliovirus cases — from 109 in 2024 to 61 in 2025 — though new outbreaks have been reported in parts of the North-West.
