As the outbreak of meningitis in some states continues to elicit concern across the country, many states in the South West zone are making spirited efforts to prevent an epidemic.
In Oyo State, Dr Oyewole Lawal, the Director of Public Health in the Ministry of Health, said government had beefed up its surveillance and tracking mechanism in order to check outbreak of communicable diseases.
“Our surveillance committee has reported two patients in the Hausa community of Ojoo in Akinyele Local Government Area who manifested some of the symptoms of meningitis.
“ These cases are yet to be confirmed. We have beefed- up tracking and increased surveillance efforts in all primary health care centres at the local government level, state hospitals (secondary health care level) and all private hospitals around Ojoo.
“Oyo State Government is making spirited efforts to ensure that our officers at the Disease Notification and Surveillance unit are working assiduously to monitor suspects.
“As soon as we got the alert at the state office, we immediately alerted the Disease Notification and Surveillance officers in the 33 local governments in the state.
“The year 2014 was the last episode of meningitis outbreak we had in Oyo State and we had adequate and effective vaccines to tackle it.
“In all areas and all fronts, I can say that Oyo State is fully equipped and ready to prevent or reduce the scourge of any outbreak of meningitis in the state,” he said.
Lawal added that there was an ongoing collaboration between the state Ministry of Health, Disease Control Unit and all the 33 local government health officers.
“We hold meetings every first week of the month where we analyse reports from these local governments.
“Information on disease outbreak is strictly officially managed; the lcal government officer concerned usually sends alerts to us at the Ministry of Health, we in turn send alert to the National Centre for Disease Control, a unit in the FMOH (Federal Ministry of Health)
“The ministry then alerts the WHO office and Presidency at the same time. So we are on top of events in Oyo state,” he said.
Lawal also explained that there was no cause for ordering for vaccines to combat meningitis, saying such procurement was the sole responsibility of the FMOH.
According to him, the type of meningitis recorded in Oyo in 2014 is different from that of this year which is Zero Type C.
Dr Mercy Popoola, the Director of Hospital Services in the state, told NAN that government was ready to treat those who might be carriers of Zero Type C meningitis.
“Our State Hospital at New Adeoyo has been prepared for any such emergency while other government hospitals and private hospitals have been alerted,” she said.
Popoola also said some NGOs were involved in advocacy and sensitisation on communicable diseases while the media were assisting in publicity.
She also said that officials of the Public Health Nursing Department often visit churches and mosques to administer vaccines to people.
In Ondo State, government also gave an assurance that proactive measures had been put in place to prevent an outbreak of communicable diseases.
Dr Taye Oni, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said a response team had swung into action to forestall an outbreak.
He, however, warned residents to avoid over crowding, ensure proper ventilation, increase hand washing, maintain proper hygiene and avoid shaking hands.
Oni also urged residents to refrain from unnecessary petting and kissing while ensuring good coughing and sneezing behaviour.
He enjoined residents to report to the hospital immediately they experience symptoms such as fever, headache, respiratory track infection, sneezing as well as pain in the neck and back which could lead to stiffness of the neck.
In Osun, the state Epidemiologist, Dr Adeola Musa, said government had set up a Disease Surveillance Committee to monitor any outbreak of communicable diseases in all the 30 local government areas in the state.
Musa told NAN that committee members as well as notification officers had been going round the state to vaccinate residents against communicable diseases.
” The state government has set up rapid response team to checkmate and prevent any epidemic of communicable diseases.
” Our health officers don’t sit down in the health facilities set up by the government but rather they move around to carry out surveillance.
” Their findings are in a weekly report which would be submitted to us for further analysis.
“They also move round to give daily report of what they find on the field,’’ she said.
According to her, several sensitisation programmes had also been embarked on.
Musa also said vaccines had also been despatched to all the local government areas, adding that surveillance would be an ongoing strategy.
The expert, who noted that the state had not recorded any outbreak of communicable diseases, said surveillance had been effective.
She said government’s epidemic preparedness committee was working hard to prevent any emergency.
Musa said, the ministry from time to time held stakeholders meetings to forcast any outbreak of disease and what to do in terms of logistic and the necessary measures to put in place.
In Kwara, a state in the North Central Zone, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Atolagbe Alege, said proactive measures were critical in putting in check communicable diseases.
He told NAN that the state had not recorded any cases of Type C meningitis raging in some parts of the country.
The commissioner said government had convened meetings with the state epidemiology and disease control officers.
According to him, the meeting was to ensure all the 16 local government areas of the state had been adequately sensitised to report any case that may occur.
Alege said the ministry also had meetings with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Department of Public Health on preventive measures.
“We are on alert and we are pooling our resources together,” he said.
Also speaking with NAN on the outbreak of meningitis, Dr Uthman Mubashir, a Public Health Physician at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, urged Nigerians to be vigilant and report symptoms such as fever, stiff neck and seizure.
Other symptoms, he said, are molten skin, cold hands and feet as well as severe headache.
He also advised members of the public to live in a well ventilated environment, warning that over-crowded places were predisposing factors.
Mubashir described meningitis as the swelling of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, adding that this could be due to viral, fungal or bacterial infection.
He, however, said that the most common cause of the epidemic is viral infection although bacterial meningitis remained one of the most dangerous forms of the disease.
The medical practitioner said early diagnosis and treatment could help to prevent complications and potential long-term effect.
