Progress towards poliomyelitis eradication in Nigeria January 2014– July 2015

Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, 4 of the 6 WHO Regions have been certified polio-free. With Afghanistan and Pakistan, Nigeria is one of only 3 countries where transmission of wild poliovirus (WPV) has never been interrupted. During 2003–2013, northern Nigeria represented a reservoir from which WPV was reintroduced into 26 previously polio-free countries. In 2012, the Nigerian government launched a national polio eradication emergency plan in order to intensify efforts to interrupt WPV transmission. This report updates previous reports, and describes polio eradication activities and progress in Nigeria during January 2014–July 2015.