WHO confirms Nigeria’s third polio case

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a third case of polio in Nigeria, Rotary Club said Monday.

According to a Rotary report, a crippled toddler found in an area newly liberated from Boko Haram militants was confirmed as the latest case.

Nigeria had gone two years without recording any case of polio and was to be certified polio free next year before the recent development.

WHO warned that more cases are expected to be discovered in these areas, stressing that “it is an indicator that Nigeria’s war on polio cannot be won until it overcomes the insurgency by extremists who are violently opposed to western medicine.”

The United Nations Children’s Fund has warned that about one million children are in areas too dangerous to access.

Rotary is part of a new emergency immunization drive that vaccinated more than 1.5 million children last week in Borno, where WHO has said the virus has been circulating undetected for five years and where Boko Haram began its uprising in 2009.

The campaign is expected to spread across the country, with a plan to reach 25 million children before the end of the year.

Michael Bloomberg named World Health Organization ambassador

WHO Director General Margaret Chan said in Wednesday's announcement that she was "absolutely delighted" that he will be WHO's Global Ambassador for Non-communicable Diseases.

She cited Bloomberg's longtime support for WHO efforts to control smoking and tobacco use, improve road safety and prevent drowning.

Chan said Bloomberg will help mobilize global action to prevent and treat non-communicable diseases and combat injuries, which together account for almost 80 percent of deaths worldwide.

Bloomberg expressed excitement that by replicating effective measures globally, "we can save many millions of lives."