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I am sending a report recently released by the Nigeria's Jama'atul Nasril Islam and the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs regarding Northern Nigerian Muslims' view about polio vacine in the region. I think the tragedy of CSM epidemic in Kanoin 1990s leading to the death of some innocent children after being administered donated foreign drugs is still fresh. Here is the report: REPORT OF THE MEETING OF THE ENLARGED PANEL INVOLVING ALL STAKE-HOLDERS CONSTITUTED BY JNI ON ORAL POLIO VACCINE, ON THE 24TH JANUARY, 2004, AT AREWA HOUSE KADUNA The meeting which was held on the 24th January, 2004 was attended by representatives of Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Kano State Committee on Immunization, Katsina State Government representatives and Zamfara State Commissioner for Health. Also present was Professor Emeritus Umaru Shehu, who chaired the Federal Ministry of Health investigation Panel on OPV who went to South Africa; representatives of National Coordinator and Chief Executive of Programme on Immunization Dr. Awosika. Also present were Chairman of the National Programme on Immunization Professor Idris Muhammad, representatives of women organization; Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria; National Institute of Research and Development; Lagos University; Supreme Council for Shari'a in Nigeria; many stakeholders through out the country as well as Emirs who are chairmen of various committees. The report of the Panel of scientist set up by Jama'atu Nasril Islam was presented before the above body by the Chairman of the Panel Professor Abdullahi Mustapha and was further analysed by one Dr. Haruna Kaita who carried out the test in India. It was after this that many of the participants mentioned above gave their opinions on the submission as well as their own individual or governments views on the very Oral Polio Vaccine and followed by extensive debate. As a result of the above it was finally resolved as follows:- 1. That for a country like Nigeria with a population over 120 million to have no laboratories fully equipped with modern gadgets/equipments to test not only vaccine but also all drugs being dished to this country for consumption is regrettable and unacceptable. Even NAFDAC could not procure any of such modern and sophisticated equipments to ascertain citizensEfear of drugs being contaminated. It was therefore resolved that as a matter of urgency the Federal Government should at all cost procure such equipments for research laboratories. 2. The meeting is of the view that the sampled Oral Polio Vaccine currently being used in the country which was analysed by the Panel set-up by JNI has contaminants in them and such Contaminants should not have been there and if they were there they ought to have been labelled according to good manufacturing practices, even if the concentration is low. 3. The meeting was reliably informed that the OPV supplied and being complained against is out of stock and new ones are forth coming. As a result of the above the meeting ordered that JNI should ask for stoppage of the old vaccine and the new one to be brought should be jointly analysed by the selected stakeholder experts to include all before being used to ally any would be fear. 4. The JNI should set-up a strong technical committee with other stakeholders to continue analysing other vaccines as well as drugs to be able to obtain quality control. 5. Other institutions which had previously conducted researches, into this OPV like NAFDAC, Federal Ministry of Health, Pathology consultant Dr. Abdulmumini Hassan Rafindadi, Kaduna State and Kano State Governments as well as National Programme Coordinator, University of Lagos, Chairman National Immunization Programme, Professor Idris Muhammad and others to send in their result to JNI for continuous research to ascertain the true nature and effect of the contaminants discovered. 6. The committee in conclusion observed that this issue could have been magnified as it was done but for the press media who exaggerated the whole controversy in order to sell their products. Rejection of various immunizations is not new, it is an age-long phenomenon when a group of community have suspicion of what is being brought to them, it is therefore unfortunate that the Muslims in the North are being stigmatised in the eyes of the World which should not be so. Sultan Muhammadu Maccido President General Jama'atu Nasril Islam JNI/Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs Wannan wasik'ar i-mel ce daga H-Hausa, inda za'a cigaba da hira game da harshe da al'adu da tarihi da sauran lamura na Hausawa da mak'wabtansu.
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