Kebbi State Government has continued to do the needful and take necessary measures to contain the outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in the state, Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Yunusa Musa Isma’il, has submitted.
A statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by Governor Nasir Idris’ Special Adviser on Media, Mr Yahaya Sarki noted that Alhaji Yunusa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Shehu Nuhu Koko, said this while giving an update on the issue during a press conference organized by the Ministry of Information and Culture in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.
It was attended by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed Birnin Kebbi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Malam Yahaya Sarki, Executive Secretary of Kebbi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad, and representatives of development partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Isma’il said the outbreak has so far claimed 56 lives in three local governments; Jega, Aliero and Gwandu.
‘The Public Health Department started receiving reports of individuals exhibiting symptoms such as fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, vomiting, and dizziness, with some cases resulting in fatalities.
Active surveillance was initiated, and samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) in Abuja for confirmation’ he said.
The Health commissioner added that out of the 653 suspected cases, 17 samples were sent to NRL Abuja, with five testing positive—three from Aliero, one from Gwandu, and one from Jega.
‘All five positive cases were successfully treated and discharged, while seven results are still pending’ he said.
The commissioner further disclosed that the federal government provided 3,000 doses of CSM vaccines, which have been distributed to the most affected communities.
‘Vaccination efforts have covered 1,550 people in Aliero (including the Kebbi State University of Science and Technology community), 798 in Gwandu, and 450 in Jega and statewide vaccination would continue as more doses arrive.
To support containment efforts, the state government has released ₦30 million for the procurement of drugs and essential medical supplies.
Isolation centers have also been established in the affected LGAs, with necessary medications and consumables provided’ he said.
Isma’il however urged the public to adhere to health guidelines and promptly report suspected cases to the nearest health facility-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
