Kano govt dismisses measles outbreak reports

The Kano State Ministry of Health has dismissed reports circulating about a measles outbreak in the Kano Municipal and other local government areas (LGAs) of the state.

The story, which gained traction in both local and international media, has been refuted by the Ministry.

In a statement released on Tuesday by the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry, Dr. Imam Wada Bello, the Director of Public Health and Disease Control, vehemently denied the existence of any measles outbreak.

Dr. Imam clarified that before declaring a disease outbreak, specific procedures and criteria must be met, including laboratory investigations, examinations, and assessments of the severity and number of cases reported.

He further explained that the Surveillance Outbreak Response and Management System (SORMAS), a national dashboard, provided a summary of measles reports in Kano State from January to March 2024.

The data revealed 697 suspected cases of measles across 23 LGAs, with Kano Municipal recording the highest number at 647.

However, Dr. Imam stated that despite five samples being taken for laboratory testing, none confirmed positive for measles.

He, therefore, stated that in the case of Kano Municipal LGA, him, none of the procedures were conducted to warrant the declaration of the measles outbreak, urging people to disregard the story because it lacks empirical and clinical evidence to substantiate it.

He then assured that the Ministry is very vigilant on all public diseases causing havoc to the lives of the people by taking all necessary measures to contain the effects such diseases might bring about.

He further assured that the Ministry and its 44 LGAs Emergency Preparedness Response (EPR) were on alert to timely response to outbreaks in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders.

The Director reasoned that Kano Municipal became the LGA with high number of “suspected cases” because of the presence of Hasiya Bayero Paediatric Hospital which serves as a centralized facility for diagnosing and managing paediatrics cases including measles across the state not only within the municipality.

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He stated that it was that centralization that made the facility to lead in high reporting incidence of cases in the LG compared to other LGAs.

When contacted, Aliyu Jinjiri Kiru, the Kano Municipal Primary Healthcare Coordinator, clarified that he never made any declaration regarding a measles outbreak.

He explained that the report attributed to him was a misinterpretation of the emergency preparedness response meeting conducted by the Local Government Area (LGA).

Mr. Kiru clarified that the information unit of the LGA mistakenly perceived the discussion during the meeting as indicating a measles outbreak in the locality.

In reality, the discussion revolved around the reception of “suspected measles and diphtheria cases” from various health facilities within the LGA, including secondary facilities.

The intent behind this reporting was to alert stakeholders and seek their support to the Primary Healthcare Department in case the suspected cases were confirmed.

Mr. Kiru emphasised that the aim was to proactively address the situation and ensure preparedness to handle any confirmed cases effectively.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE