Revelation of an important weakness in polio elimination efforts in Nigeria: a descriptive cross-sectional study of nomadic dynamics in Sokoto and Taraba States, May 2013

IntroductionOperational gaps in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative implementation had been partly responsible for inadequate population immunity and the continued transmission of wild poliovirus in Nigeria before the African Region was declared polio-free in 2020. Missed opportunities to provide services in nomadic populations due to frequent mobility, lack of inclusion in microplans and the remoteness of their settlements were the major challenges. During May 2013 we conducted immunization outreach to nomadic and other underserved communities in Rabah LGA, Sokoto state, and Ardo Kola LGA, Taraba state, in Nigeria to identify and vaccinate children missed during supplemental immunization activities while identifying missed acute flaccid paralysis cases. MethodsAn enumeration checklist and data collection instruments on Android cell phones were used to capture socio-demographic data and GPS coordinates on nomadic settlements, households, number of children aged