This development is on the heels of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) report that Africa has recorded 72 cases of cVDPV, of which 68 are cVDPV2 and four are cVDPV1. Of the 72 cases in 2024, 30 (42%) have occurred in Nigeria alone.
In 2023, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), launched the “Southern Religious & Traditional Leaders Engagement (SoRTLE) for PHC Delivery” initiative in 2023 to tackle circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVPV2) and enhance primary healthcare (PHC) uptake in Southern Nigeria.
A landscape assessment by Sydani Group in January 2023 mapped the operations of local leaders, leading to the formation of zonal, state, and local committees to spearhead PHC promotion.
One of the most notable successes of the SoRTLE initiative was the Lagos OBR campaign in July 2023. This campaign, a part of SoRTLE’s comprehensive efforts, vaccinated 86 children at a church that had previously denied access to vaccinators.
![Microsoft's Bill Gates, one of the world's richest men and highest profile aid donors vaccinates a child. [Getty Images]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'790'%20height%3D'445'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Microsoft's Bill Gates, one of the world's richest men and highest profile aid donors vaccinates a child. [Getty Images]")
Microsoft’s Bill Gates, one of the world’s richest men and highest profile aid donors vaccinates a child. [Getty Images]
Pulse Nigeria
In August 2023, a National Religious Leaders Review Meeting in Abuja saw religious leaders pledge to support vaccination efforts, including establishing permanent vaccination posts at religious centres and addressing immunisation myths.
The September and November 2023 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) saw substantial engagement from traditional and religious leaders, contributing to vaccinating over 230,000 children.
Additionally, more than 70% of non-compliance cases were resolved with the help of community leaders.
In August 2023, a National Religious Leaders Review Meeting in Abuja saw religious leaders pledge to support vaccination efforts, including establishing permanent vaccination posts at religious centres and addressing immunisation myths.
The National Traditional Rulers Summit, initially scheduled for August 30, 2023, has been postponed to 2024 further to emphasise the role of traditional leaders in healthcare delivery.
