2010-03-08 04:18:03 - Epidemic Hazard - Nigeria EDIS CODE: EH-20100308-25239-NGA
Date & Time: 2010-03-08 04:18:03 [UTC]
Area: Nigeria, State of Anambra, Ogwuaniocha Community, Number of death person(s): 22
Number of Infected person(s): 44
Damage level: Heavy (Level 3)
Not confirmed information! Description: No fewer that 22 children have died, while 44 others are now in a coma following the outbreak of measles, which infested the riverine area of Ogwuaniocha community in Ogbaru council area of Anambra State. The measles outbreak, which occured in February, according to the Chief Medical Officer of Health at the Ogbaru Local Government Area, Dr. Chukwudi Njelita, affected children mostly from two years of age and above. Njelita who disclosed this during a flag-off ceremony of this year’s immunization exercise which commenced last Saturday at the Ogbaru Local Government secretariat, Atani, said appropriate government authorities had assembled medical experts to work day and night in a bid to save the lives of the victims in the hospitals and to stop further spread of the deadly disease. He disclosed that the cause of the outbreak was as a result of the return to the community of some infected children who went for farming across the River Niger and contracted the disease from their fellow children who were not immunized at the border. He, therefore, urged parents in the area to avail themselves of this flag-off of the immunization exercise to ensure that they immunize their children or wards, to forestall future occurrence. Performing the flag-off ceremony, Governor Peter Obi who was represented by his wife, Mrs. Margaret Peter-Obi, disclosed that most of the vaccines being used for the exercise were donated by the Rotary International, through the assistance of the World Health organization (WHO).
Obi also disclosed that the Rotary International had donated $8 million while the Universal Childrens Education Fund (UNICEF) donated $2 million for the procurement of the vaccines, just as other donour agencies like the European Union (EU) also contributed towards the procurement of the vaccines. She stated that government on its part has doled out substantial amount to achieve 100 per cent success against the six deadly diseases affecting children in Nigeria and urged parents to bring out their children or wards for immunization since, according to her, children are the future hope of any society. She directed that church leaders, town union leaders and market leaders should assist in educating and enlightening the parents on the need to bring out their children for immunization during house-to-house patrol by the immunization officers, adding that the speculations that immunization reduces procreation of children are false alarm calculated to dissuade parents from bringing out their children for the exercise. In his speech, state Commissioner for Health, Professor Amobi Ilika, gave the assurance that with the assistance of the state government, which started from the distribution of free treated mosquito nets for malaria prevention, the immunization exercise would become a huge success, even as the state had been recognized as free guinea worm and free polio state. The Chairman of the local government, Dan Ejiofor, said he had made adequate enlightenment campaign on the need for effective take-off of the exercise in the council area.
The name of Hazard: Measles
Species: Human
Status: Confirmed
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20:18 | 
Publicado por
NEWS
