Nigeria has taken another step towards being declared wild polio-free after it met the robust surveillance criteria for ensuring that the virus does not re-emerge, the head of the country's primary health care agency has tweeted.
Dr Faisal Shuaib described it as "an amazing moment in history".

https://twitter.com/drfaisalshuaib/status/1273613834046058500/photo/1

Nigeria was the last country on the continent to have a case of wild polio. That was in August 2016.

In 2012 the country accounted for more than half of all polio cases worldwide.

Dr Shuaib tweeted that the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) has accepted Nigeria's "polio-eradication documentation", adding that the milestone will be officially announced next month.

The ARCC is an independent body mandated by the World Health Organization to look into polio eradication procedures.

It has also approved the procedures in Cameroon, according to the health minister there, while WHO South Sudan tweeted a similar message for that country.
Vaccination campaign against polio at Hotoro-Kudu, Nassarawa district of Kano in northwest Nigeria

https://twitter.com/WHOSouthSudan/status/1273663805818617863/photo/1
For a country to be declared wild polio-free, it must ensure high immunisation coverage and prove there have been no transmissions for at least three consecutive years.
It should also maintain a surveillance and outbreak preparedness system.