Yellow fever: Six more reported dead in Bauchi

It has been confirmed that six new deaths have been recorded in the Yellow fever outbreak in Bauchi State, thereby bringing the total number of confirmed deaths across the state to 22 even as immunisation of workers in the oil exploration sites in the state has begun to avoid the spread of the outbreak.

The disclosure was made on Monday by the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Health Care
Development Agency (BSPHCDA), Dr Rilwanu Mohammed while giving an update on the deadly disease.

Rilwanu Mohammed disclosed that no fewer than 143 suspected cases of Yellow fever were recorded in the state out of which 24 cases were confirmed and 22 deaths saying that all the cases were from Alkaleri local government area of the state.

He further disclosed that 10 out of the 22 people that died of Yellow fever were rangers working within the Yankari Games Reserve adding that only 79 per cent coverage was recorded in the ongoing immunisation campaign against the vector that carries the disease.

The BSPHCDA Executive Chairman lamented that some people were still declining to take the vaccine hence the deaths that are still being recorded just as he disclosed that besides the 500,000 doses of vaccine provided by the federal government, the state has received another batch of 600,000 vaccines.

Rilwanu Mohammed explained that the vaccination would now be extended to Kirfi local government in the state, particularly the oil exploration sites, and parts of villages in Gombe States

Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Government is to launch the Clean Family Health campaign on Tuesday, October 15 in Kirfi local government area of the state.

The Commissioner for Water Resources, Umar Sanda Adamu, disclosed this to Journalists on Monday during a press conference held at the NUJ Secretariat, Bauchi.

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Adamu said that the launch was parts of efforts to commemorate the 2019 Global Hand Washing Day just as he also revealed that the Clean Family Campaign was aimed at improving hygiene behaviours in communities and health facilities in Kirfi LGA for better health and socio-economic outcomes.

He said that the ministry, through its agency, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RUWASSA), supported by WaterAid Nigeria (WANG) was launching the campaign to motivate the people of Kirfi towards practising specific hygiene behaviours.

He added that the planned launch in Kirfi followed months of strategic planning and collaboration between RUWASSA, stakeholders and WaterAid and technical partners.

The Commissioner described the launch as timely, “as it follows the recent launch of the National Action Plan to revitalise Nigeria’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector, after a state of emergency declared by the Federal Government in 2018”

He explained further that the Clean Family campaign informed the design of the Bauchi State Open Defecation Free (ODF) Road map and subsequent campaign, which would be laughed after the official launch of Clean Nigeria Campaign at the National Level.

“The Clean Family Campaign aligns with the National Sanitation Campaign ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ which aims to deliver an ODF Nigeria by 2025. In addition to being implemented in Kirfi LGA, the intervention will be cascaded in three other local government areas selected from the three senatorial zones in the state to ensure sanitation and hygiene at the state level,” Adamu stated.