Writing By Isma’il Adamu ; Editing By Godwin Duru
Health facilities and personnel in Katsina State have been placed on alert as the state has so far recorded 105 suspected cases of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) often attributed to hot temperatures at the peak of the dry season.
Briefing Newsmen in Katsina after a meeting to review latest reported cases of the disease, the Executive Secretary of the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Shamsuddeen Yahaya, said the state government and its partners were instituting measures to check the outbreak.
He pointed out that cases were reported from 20 local government areas particularly Katsina, Jibia, Kaita, Mani, Mashi, Zango and Musawa which have more reported cases.
Dr. Yahaya noted that the agency has placed disease surveillance and response units across health facilities on emergency mode as personnel work round the clock to review cases and provide prompt treatment.
“At the state level we have an Emergency Operations Center, at the local government areas we have Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers, at the community level we have Community Informants and at the health facilities we have Surveillance Focal Persons.
“These personnel work in synergy to ensure that any suspected case of meningitis is reported in good time and appropriate treatment is provided. That is how we were able to curtail the outbreak despite the very high temperatures and other risk factors for CSM among the population”.
While dismissing any confirmed cases of death from the outbreak, Dr. Yahaya appealed to residents on timely reporting of any symptoms that include high fever, severe headache or neck stiffness, stressing that “with timely reporting, health facilities across the state are on high alert to avert mortality” from the disease.
He said the state government has been proactive in procuring drugs, training medical personnel and instituting other measures to avert mobidity or mortality from seasonal diseases such as CSM.
“We do not wait until there is an outbreak before we procure drugs, we have drugs in major health facilities and once there is a reported case we investigate and where applicable we institute treatment.
“We have different working groups in the Emergency Operation Centers and a surveillance team that is involved with active case search and contact tracing as well as a Case Management Working Group tasked with making sure that cases are treated promptly.
“We also have a laboratory pillar that ensures prompt diagnosis and treatment and a Logistics Working Group that ensures that the drugs and consumables required are provided across our health facilities.
“Very importantly, we have a Risk Communication Working Group which supervises the production and dissemination of radio jingles and other forms of media content to sensitize members of the public on preventive measures, symptoms and appropriate facilities to report suspected cases of meningitis”.
The PHCDA chief said the state has received support from the National Center for Disease Control through capacity building for frontline healthcare workers and provision of additional drugs, consumables and laboratory equipment to complement the supplies made by the state government.
Isma’il Adamu
