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Dr
Halima Mukaddas, Honourable Commissioner for Health, Bauchi State
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Bauchi State government,
yesterday, debunked the rumours that there was an outbreak of Cerebro-spinal
Meningitis, CSM, in the state.
Vanguard
report continues:
The
state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Halima Mukaddas, told newsmen in Bauchi,
that the state had not recorded any case of meningitis as insinuated by some
people.
She
said the state had commenced meningitis vaccination in most of the state
primary healthcare centres and purchased drugs to forestall outbreak of an
epidemic.
Mukaddas
disclosed that there were five cases of Lassa Fever in Alkaleri, Ganjuwa and
Bauchi councils, where two persons died and three others were treated.
Meningitis Caught
Us Off Guard, Says FG …Faults Zamfara Gov’s Position On Cause
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Minister
of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire
|
The
Punch reports that the Federal Government on Wednesday admitted that it was
caught off guard by the outbreak of Type C of meningitis which has killed no
fewer than 336 persons in the country.
This
came as one person was on Wednesday confirmed dead in Cross River
State following an outbreak of the disease in the state.
The
Minister of State, Health, Osagie Ehanire, who spoke to State House
correspondents on the outcome of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive
Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, said the government would
stop the disease from spreading.
Ehanire said
he briefed the council on the outbreak and responses by the ministry and the
state governments concerned along with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control,
Nigeria Primary Health Care Development Agencies, World Health Organisation, UNICEF
and other partners.
He
confirmed that 2,996 cases of the disease had been reported as
of Wednesday, with 336 persons losing their lives.
“In
other to allay the fear of Nigerians, we want to make it clear that this is not
a sign of the failing of the system, it is a fact that nature played a very
different stroke this time that caught everybody off guard,” the minister said.
He
said what made the outbreak to be peculiar was that it was caused by a
different meningitis germ, which is the Type C.
Ehanire
said, “In the area called the meningitis belt that ranges all the way from
Senegal down to Ethiopia, Eritrea, the prevailing germ was the Meningecocus A.
And the mass vaccines that has taken place all these years has led to almost
total elimination of Type A.
“Type
C has been very rear and this year it is the Type C that appeared.
Unfortunately there is no cross immunization. If you are immune to Type A
doesn’t make you immune to Type C. And because Type C was very rear, the
availability of vaccines has been very meager relatively.”
He
added, “The most affected states have been Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina and
together they have about 85 per cent of the cases.
“As
of today (Wednesday), there have been 2,996 cases in 16 states and 54 local
government areas.
“There
have been 336 fatalities of which 141 have been confirmed by laboratory tests.
There is reactive vaccinations going on already, there is also social mobilization
going on, teams are working in various states affected particularly the most
affected ones.
“There
are two treatment centres being set up in every local government and kits have
been distributed so that doctors can take samples to laboratory for testing.
There are cases of field epidemiologists who are doing findings and contact
tracing in other to interrupt the spread of this epidemic.”
When
asked if the Federal Government agreed with Zamfara State Governor,
Abdulaziz Yari, who attributed the meningitis outbreak to punishment from God
as a result of sins, the minister said, “The Federal Government does not have
views of that nature and I am not sure the state government can really continue
to make that statement.
“When
things happen, yes you can begin to look this way and that way for the cause of
it but like I said, nature played us unfortunate stroke but that is not to say
we committed sin or anything.”
Cross
River State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong, said in Calabar that 23
other persons had received treatment at the University of Calabar Teaching
Hospital.
Meanwhile,
a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Ahmed Makarfi has said that it
is wrong to blame God for the outbreak of meningitis in the country.
It
said that rather than blame God, Yari should blame his political party, the All
Progressives Congress, for its inability to curtail the scourge.
Makarfi
stated this in a statement by spokesperson for the sacked National Caretaker
Committee of the party, which he heads, Prince Dayo Adeyeye on
Wednesday.
Adeyeye
said that the primary responsibility of any government was to protect the lives
and property of its citizens, adding that the APC government had remained
insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
He
said that the government had wasted so much funds on the State House Clinic
with no tangible result but neglected other health centres and clinics across
the country that he said had the capacity to manage the health challenges
of other Nigerians.
He said, “As of Tuesday, about 336 Nigerians had lost their lives due to the outbreak of type C Cerebrospinal Meningitis and the Federal Ministry of Health has not taken any concrete step to contend with the spread.”
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