Meningitis: UNICEF places Ekiti on surveillance

FOLLOWING the outbreak of deadly meningitis in parts of Northern Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it has placed Ekiti State on surveillance to forestall its outbreak in any part of the state.

UNICEF said although there is no reported case of the virus in Ekiti, it is working with experts in the state’s Ministry of Health on the need to be on the alert.

The UNICEF Representative in the state, Mr Abiodun Olagunju, stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting on the second phase of polio vaccination in the state, in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday.

Olagunju said “though Ekiti is not within the meningitis belt, we are keeping watch because someone can bring it from the meningitis endemic state to Ekiti.

“UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are not fond of folding their arms and allow communicable diseases ravage the land before taking actions. This is not medically wise.

“The target for the polio vaccination, which will be administered for children below the age of five, is 100 per cent in Ekiti. We recorded 87 per cent during the first phase.

“Let me also enlighten our people that the vaccines for polio, measles, meningitis, hepatitis B are available in all the health centres in Ekiti, so we are on ground to fight communicable diseases to safeguard the health of our people.”

Giving on overview of the first phase of the anti-polio campaign held in the state, the State Immunisation Officer, Mrs Christianah Ajimati, said 579,704 children were immunized with polio vaccine during the last exercise in March, 2017 out of the projected 667, 145.

Ajimati said Emure Local Government Area had the highest turnout of children with 95 per cent for the exercise, with Ekiti West Local Government Area coming last with 66 per cent.

The expert said the second phase of the fight against polio will kick off between of May 6 and 9, 2017, saying the fight against communicable disease is total for Nigeria to maintain the polio-free status conferred by United Nations.

Ajimati expressed delight that the country, particularly Ekiti has overcome the barrier of religion that had considered a great impediment stopping many of the parents from presenting their children for the oral vaccine.

“We want to commend our donor agencies and Ekiti State government for the release of funds. Timely release of funds and kits really helped this exercise.

“Nigeria has been listed a polio-free nation and we should not recede backward on the ladder by allowing our children to be killed by polio and other preventable diseases.

Meningitis has killed over 700 people in some Northern states of the country, with Oyo State recording one case.