The Gombe State government, has purchased drug kits worth four million naira for the management and treatment of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) to all hospitals across the state.
The commissioner for health, Dr. Kennedy Ishaya, made this disclosure in Gombe on Wednesday, April 18, 2017 while presenting the kits to the managing director of Gombe Specialist Hospital, Dr. Arnold Abel.
Ishaya said the kits were approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the management and treatment of CSM.
The commissioner said the kits would be distributed free to all government health facilities, federal teaching hospitals, as well as private hospitals in the state.
He said that government had already constituted a monitoring committee that would be going round all health facilities to record and monitor the number of drugs given to them.
Ishaya said that he had the assurance of the acting governor, Mr Charles Iliya, that more of the drugs would be provided in the state.
“The moment we make a clinical assertion that a patient’s case is ‘suspected CSM’, he or she will benefit from the drugs.
“We are also going to buy vaccines and immunise people, who are within the reach group,” he said.
He further called on the public to always open their doors for cross ventilation, so as to avert the possible occurrence of CSM.
Receiving the drugs, the MD of the specialist hospital, lauded the commissioner for his prompt response and promised to use the drugs judiciously.
FG Warns of New Strain Of Meningitis
The federal government says it has deployed epidemiologists and vaccines to arrest the outbreak of a new a strain of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis, CSM, in parts of the country.
The minister of health, Isaac Adewole said this on Thursday, March 16, 2017 in Abuja that the new strain, which is not common in Nigeria, was imported from Niger Republic.
Adewole said that the new strain requires a different type of vaccine and a team of epidemiologists have been deployed to address the challenge.
He described the outbreak of meningitis in Sokoto and Zamfara states as an unfortunate incidence, stressing that the ministry is working hard to contain the situation.
“It has become an annual ritual under this administration; we would want to put an end to annual outbreak of meningitis in some of the northern states.
“I have just spoken with the commissioner for health in Zamfara who is appreciative of what the Federal Ministry of Health has been doing through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
“We have sent field epidemiologists; they are actually called disease detectives, to support them at the state level,’’ Adewole said.
The minister said that government have provided vaccines and would continue to do more in terms of whatever was needed with respect to material and technical support to overcome the outbreak.
“What we know in public health is that there is always an outbreak, but what is uncertain is where and the type.
“We want to be ready at any time,’’ he said.
Additional reports by News Agency of Nigeria.
