Eradication of wild poliovirus in Nigeria: Lessons learnt.

Introduction: On August 24, 2020, Nigeria recorded a monumental success by achieving the aim of a "wild polio-free country" after completing three years without any case of wild poliovirus (WPV). Methods: For this commentary, we consulted relevant publications, official documents, and working plans and policy statements of the relevant organizations responsible for Nigeria's Polio Eradication Initiative. Results: Efforts to curb the challenges the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) faced in Nigeria through effective partnerships, the CORE Group Polio Project (CGPP), Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCMs), and Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners proved successful, as it resulted in Nigeria being removed from the list of endemic countries in September 2015, and subsequently declared free of WPV on August 24, 2020, following an absence of indigenous transmission for three years. Conclusion: Unrelenting prioritization of polio eradication and global support is still needed to achieve a polio-free world.

Threats of COVID-19 to Achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Africa.

The negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been exacerbated in Africa by hunger, poor health care, poor educational systems, poverty, and lack of potable water and sanitation. With the pandemic and a worrying global recession as a result of COVID-19, our ability to achieve the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the post-pandemic era has been questioned. There is concern that the economic stagnation caused by COVID-19 will not only push more populations below the poverty line but also limit international support to ensure progress toward achieving the SDGs in Africa. This article highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic could threaten the actualization of the SDGs in Africa. We assessed relevant published literature, observations, and current global trends. Our results suggest that although the improvement of healthcare systems has become a priority in Africa, there is a need to ensure that some SDGs are not sacrificed to achieve control of the pandemic. Despite the pandemic, African countries need to identify policies that will not compromise the implementation of the SDGs and/or jeopardize previously achieved SDG targets.