The Federal Government has released N9.8bn to fight against the polio outbreak especially in communities in the North-East affected by the activities of Boko Haram insurgents.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said this at a press briefing  in Abuja against the backdrop of two new cases of polio recorded in the country.

He named the new response plan to include five rounds of polio campaigns, three of which would be focused on 18 northern states and two to be conducted nationwide.

The minister assured Nigerians that funds would not be an issue, as the country had enough fund coverage for polio vaccination programme.

Adewole said, “We have earmarked N9.8bn for polio and by Monday the entire N9.8bn will be released. For the sub-national campaigns, 31, 540, 054 children are targeted to be vaccinated each round with oral vaccines across states in the North-East, North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones of the country. For the nationwide response, 56, 363, 618 children will be vaccinated between October and November 2016.

“The revised plan was informed by factors such as historical data on WPV affected areas, pattern of transmission over the last five years, population displacement due to insecurity in the North-East, likelihood of spread of the virus to other neighbouring countries and population immunity.”

The minister stated that Nigerians going on Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia would undergo compulsory immunisation against polio as one of the conditions for entering the Holy Land.

“Plans are underway to reinforce and intensify immunisation of intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Vaccines have been provided at the different international port health locations and airports. This is consistent with the International Health Regulations,” he noted.

The minister said that one of the cases was found in a boy who had stayed in at Muna Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Jere Local Government Area in Borno State.