The World Health Organisation and United Nations Children Fund on Wednesday linked the 60 per cent rise in polio cases in Nigeria to the activities of Boko Haram in Borno and Yobe states.
The UN organs however acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Government towards eradicating the disease in the country by 2015.
A statement by UNICEF's Communication Specialist (Media and External Relations) in Nigeria, Mr. Geoffrey Njoku, quoted the Country Team directors of both agencies as expressing optimism that the Federal Government would meet the deadline to eradicate polio in the country.
He said, "To date, Nigeria has reported a 50 per cent decline in the number of cases, with 25 cases in nine states, compared to 54 cases in 10 states for the same period in 2012.
"It is important to highlight that more than 60 per cent of the cases this year are from the security compromised areas of Borno and Yobe with limited access to children for vaccination.
"As outlined by the most recent report of the global Independent Monitoring Board for polio eradication, Nigeria's polio programme has surged forward and is making progress."
"This is coupled with a substantive investment and efforts to improve routine immunisation, with the development of a new routine immunisation framework and the Save One Million Lives Initiative lead by the Government of Nigeria."
The Punch