Measles, Meningitis Kill 41 in Yobe

Kabir Matazu

23 May 2011

Damaturu — Forty one persons have died as a result of Cerebrospinal Meningitis and measles in Yobe State in the past 18 months. This was contained in a report by the state’s Epidemiological Department in Damaturu yesterday.

According to the report, Yobe State recorded 322 cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis across the 17 local government areas of the state last year, and that 22 persons died from the disease. It added that four persons died out of the 51 cases that were reported between January and May this year.

It further stated that seven persons died in 2010 out of the 464 cases of measles recorded in the state, while 8 persons died out of the 3022 cases of the disease recorded this year.

Reacting to the report, the Director General of the Yobe State Health Care Management Board, Alhaji Lawal Ibrahim said the board had procured preposition drugs on measles, meningitis and other related diseases and that they had already been distributed to the six epidemiological zonal offices in the state.

He said that government has also embarked on a campaign against overcrowding, personal and environmental hygiene, saying those were preventive measures against disease outbreak in the state.

He added that the board in collaboration with donor agencies, WHO, UNICEP etc were working on what he described as pre-attack programmes to prevent cholera and malaria in the state.

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