By Tina Akannam
DUTSE—Jigawa State has recorded two new cases of wild poliomyelitis in Ringim and Gwiwa local government areas of the state, bringing the total cases of wild poliomyelitis in Nigeria this year to 46 as against 14 recorded last year.
Director-General, Jigawa State Gunduma Health Systems Board, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, made this known at a news briefing on Free Polio Torch launch scheduled to hold in Dutse, the state capital, tomorrow.
Abubakar said the two new cases were reported to the board, yesterday.
He said: “Previously we had the following cases of poliomyelitis: two cases in Guri in the months of March and April; one in Roni, and two at Ringim in the months of September and October.”
“Other cases were also reported in Babura in October.”
Commenting on the proposed Polio Free Torch launch, Abubakar said Jigawa was the third among the 12 states in the northern part of the country considered to be very high risk areas.
He further explained that the campaign was a mark of the determination by the Federal Government to completely eradicate poliomyelitis in the country.
He said: “The lighting of the polio-free torch by Governor Sule Lamido tomorrow will also symbo-lise the state’s commitment towards eradicating polio in Jigawa, which has the highest number of recorded cases this year.”
