The death rate of people with meningitis keeps increasing daily in Nigeria. The government is trying hard to curb the situation by crying out for assistance with vaccines. As a result of this less controllable disaster, vaccines have been donated to Nigeria by the World Health Organization and the United Kingdom to help eradicate the deadly disease.
The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday and signed by the Director, Media and Public Relations of the ministry, Mrs. Boade Akinola.
Initially, the Federal Government has arranged an emergency meeting between stakeholders in the health sector and the World Health Organization (WHO), following the outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis in five States. The meeting was to secure the approval of additional vaccines in order to curb the spread of the disease which has finally been granted.
The Minister of Health, Adewole said:
“We have started working with the affected states on massive awareness and sensitization, laboratory investigation and analysis, proper documentation and disease surveillance techniques.’’
He added that the Ministry through the National Centre for Disease Control and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), had been of tremendous support to the affected states since the outbreak.
In addition, he said the Ministry was in constant discussion with World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, E-health Africa and other international health agencies for supplies of vaccines and injections and that even with the tunnels of accomplishment made, they are not relenting on all the progress made, as they have been assured of millions of vaccine doses through other notable and international donor agencies. Also, he expressed his gratitude saying that the discussions eventually yield result.
“Through our initiatives, we have secured 500,000 doses of the meningococcal vaccines from WHO which will be used in Zamfara and Katsina states with additional 800,000 units from the British government.” Said the Minister
“By next Tuesday, there will be a meeting with the International Review Group of the WHO, where request for additional vaccines shall be approved, as part of practical and medically certified efforts to stem this ugly incidence.’’ he added
He was also optimistic with the ability of the FG to curtail the trend, adding that “328 deaths associated with Meningitis have been recorded since November 2016.
“We have started working with all the affected states in specific areas of collaboration on massive awareness and sensitization, laboratory investigation and analysis, proper documentation and disease surveillance techniques through the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and National Primary Health Care Development Authority who have been of tremendous support since the outbreak.”
“Unfortunately, Nigeria had always been experiencing the stereotype A in years past but this new strain of the bacterial disease, Meningitis Stereotype C which the vaccine is not commercially available in required quantities and can only be shipped to the country by WHO only if laboratory investigation confirms the existence of the strain type C,” the Minister said.
Adewole assured Nigerians that the ministry would curtail the outbreak of meningitis ravaging some states. With the help of WHO and United Kingdom, the country will definitely be meningitis free soon.
