The Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency has recorded six new deaths since the yellow fever outbreak in the state bringing the total number of deaths to 22.
Rilwanu Mohammed, the executive chairman of the agency, stated this while giving an outbreak on the deadly disease, on Monday, October 14, 2019.
He explained that no fewer than 143 suspected cases of yellow fever was recorded out of which 24 cases were confirmed and 22 died saying all the cases were from Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state.
He disclosed that 10 out of the 22 people that died of Yellow Fever were rangers working with the Yankari Games Reserve.
He said only 79 per cent coverage was recorded in the ongoing immunisation campaign against the vector that carries the disease.
He decried that some people are still reluctant to take the vaccine hence the deaths that are still being recorded.
He disclosed that besides the 500,000 doses of vaccine provided by the federal government, the state has received another batch of 600,000 vaccines.
He explained that the immunisation would now be extended to Kirfi local government in the state, oil exploration sites, and parts of villages in Gombe State.
In the same vein, 500 men of the Federal Road Safety Corps have been vaccinated against the killer disease.
The Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, BSPHCDA, carried out the vaccination on the FRSC zonal and Bauchi State sector command officials yesterday in the state.
Imoh Etuk, the zonal commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, who was speaking shortly after he was vaccinated commended the Bauchi State Ministry of Health for the gesture noted that it will go a long way in protecting men of the Corps from being infected with the killer disease.
He said, “These vaccines were donated by the Bauchi State Ministry of Health so that our people are properly immunised against yellow fever. We cannot do this end of year patrol without us being sound and fit, so if there’s an outbreak of yellow fever, you can be sure that it will affect our staff.
“And therefore, there would be a traffic upsurge and people will not be able to ensure that they do the needful.
“We are very grateful to the Bauchi State Ministry of Health for this gesture of ensuring that our people are properly vaccinated and it is only a healthy body that can do a proper work.
“We are expecting a total of 500 staff to be properly vaccinated, after this, we will also extend it to their families and we are really grateful to the Ministry for this.”
Also speaking, a staff of the BSPHCDA who was the team leader, Maryam Dauda, said that the vaccination is necessary because of the casualties recorded in the state.
“This vaccination is to protect them against the yellow fever disease since we have the outbreak in Bauchi.
Read more at Daily Trust
