Meningitis: States adopt panic measures to control disease

AUTHORITIES at the state levels across the country are adopting desperate measures to arrest further spread of Cerebro-spinal Meningitis (CMS) amidst public apprehension.

The panic measures followed the rising scale of deaths resulting from the scourge, which has so far spread to 17 of the 36 states in the country.

Worst-hit by the epidemic are Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states, with the overall death toll since the outbreak of the epidemic officially put at 438.

Lagos and Imo states were among the states that confirmed the spread to their territories, as public outrage continued over what the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) perceived as delayed response by the Federal Government to the disease.

President of NMA, Professor Mike O. Ogirima, explained that some precautionary steps ought to have been taken a long time ago.

“The delayed immunisation of the citizens against an infection that is already established is ineffective based on the epidemiology of the disease. For immunisation to be effective, it must have been administered around three months before the period of clinical manifestation due to the latent period,” he said.

The NMA has also called on the Federal Government to encourage local vaccines production to ensure adequate supply and prevent epidemics.

Ogrima called for the expansion of local vaccines production at the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau.

He said resuscitation of local vaccines production, among others, would afford the country opportunity to administer vaccination on its populace as and when due, thereby reducing the impact of outbreak of any epidemics.

“Our pharmaceutical industries should be challenged and supported to produce our consumables.

“This should be the new order instead of budgeting huge sums of money for importation of vaccines and other consumables,” he said.

 

Ogun steps up surveillance in LGs, border areas

Reports indicated that the Ogun State government has stepped up surveillance in its 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas to check any outbreak of the disease in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, in a statement made available to Sunday Tribune in Abeokuta, on Saturday, said that all borders in the state had been put on red alert

He assured that adequate measures had been taken by the government to containpossible outbreak of the disease, as medical personnel had been trained on signs and symptoms needed to watch out for in detecting the disease.

In Kano, the state government said it has approved the sum of N19 million towards mounting aggressive response to the outbreak of  both lassa fever and CSM in the state.

In addition, the government said it has strengthened and intensified surveillance at all levels of health care delivery and reactivated the rapid response team that would quickly respond to reported cases of meningitis,

It added that drugs had been procured and distributed to major health facilities, as well as established a strong mechanism for sensitisation by health care providers on CSM and LF case identification and proper treatment, in addition to embarking on social mobilisation effort.

According to the state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim Getso, the government has strengthened its collaboration with several International Development Partners especially the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, CDC-NSTOP and CAPID, affirming that plans were underway to activate CSM alert and response system.

In Plateau State, where a total of 29 cases of CSM had been recorded  in the southern part of state, it was learnt that 14 cases were recorded at the General Hospital in Shendam  Local Government, while the remaining 15 were discovered in Tunkus in Mikang Local Government.

The state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Kunden Deyin, who said only three people were presently at the state’s Specialist Hospital, said officials of the ministry of health and government agencies  had been deployed to the affected communities to sensitise the people and educate them on preventive measures.

Though there were reported cases of the epidemic in Kwara State, the state government has said no case of meningitis had been reported yet, saying however, that it could not rule out the possibility of the disease in the area, considering that self-medication “is prevalent among some residents.”

Speaking with Sunday Tribune, health experts advised people to report cases of the disease to hospitals when noticed.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Mr. Sulaiman Alege, said all experts in the field of health had been put on the red alert.

In Akwa Ibom, the state government has alerted the people to the dangers associated with meningitist, warning against being caught off-guard.

Though no such incident has yet been recorded in the state, according to the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, he enjoined residents to imbibe a high sense of personal hygiene.

The chairman of the state chapter of the NMA, Dr. Aniekeme Uwah, also said surveillance regime had been stepped up to ascertain whether the ailment had been recorded in any part of the state, noting that an emergency centre had since been opened at Ikot Ekpene for such cases to be taken for diagnosis and treatment.

 

NCDC records massive turn out for meningitis vaccination in Zamfara

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded a massive turn out in Zamfara State, as meningitis C reactive vaccination commenced.

The Communication Manager, NCDC, Dr Lawal Bakare, said in statement, in Abuja that the campaign started on April 6 in the eight most affected local government areas in the state, and would continue until April 9.

He explained that the campaign targeted 300,000 persons aged two to 29, noting that more campaigns were planned in other states in the near future.

He said that a team of experts was tasked with planning, coordinating and implementing an effective vaccination campaign in collaboration with the recently commissioned Meningitis Emergency Operations Centre at NCDC.