By Becky John
An outbreak of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM) has killed 42 persons in five local government areas of Kebbi State, an official confirmed. Alhaji Aliyu Bunza, the Director of Disease Control in the state, disclosed this while briefing to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday. He said that 379 cases of the diseases had been reported between January and March this year in Argungu, Jega, Gwandu, Zuru and Aleiro local government areas.
“The makeshift isolation camps established by the state recorded 46 cases in Jega, 36 in Argungu, 36 in Gwandu, 49 in Aleiro and 17 in Zuru local government areas while 42 died in Zuru, Jega and Aleiro local government areas,” he said.
He said over 195 affected victims were treated and discharged while medical teams had been deployed to the affected areas to control spread of the disease.
In a separate interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Director of Immunisation and Diseases in the state Primary Health Care Agency, Alhaji Hussaini Sahabi, said 20,000 dozes of vaccines had been provided in the affected areas as intervention and control
measures. He said 13,200 dossage of vaccines were provided in Aleiro, 1,290 in Argungu, 2,160 in Gwandu and 3,300 in Jega local government areas. He called on the people to avoid sleeping in unventilated rooms as well as in congested places.
