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Monday, August 23, 2010

Nigeria : FG Moves Drugs, Officials to Bauchi, Borno

An article from This Day Online :

" Minister of Health, Prof. Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu, has ordered immediate delivery of consignments of intravenous drugs to Bauchi and Borno States to curtail the cholera outbreak there.

The directive to dispatch drugs and health personnel to the affected states came just as officials of the ministry confirmed last night that there have been about 5,329 reported cases of the disease with 129 deaths in the two states.The minister said during a function in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, yesterday that the ministry last Friday directed the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Mohammad Ali Patte, to proceed to Bauchi State immediately to strengthen the number of health workers already working there.

Cases of cholera outbreak were first observed in some parts of Adamawa and Taraba States but it later became more pronounced in Borno two weeks ago and immediately spread to Bauchi State and environs.Chukwu said the epidemiological team of the ministry has already moved into the affected areas in Bauchi and Borno States to provide technical support to the other health officials deployed to attend to the cholera victims.“We are on top of the situation. We are working with the affected states and local governments to step-up efforts to arrest the spread of the cholera disease,” he said.

He said he has directed that consignments of intravenous drugs be immediately dispatched to Bauchi and Borno to help the intervention efforts to contain the spread of the cholera disease.

According to Chukwu, apart from providing drugs, disease management and diagnostic support, the ministry officials have also taken steps to purify identified sources of water in the areas so far hit by the epidemic."

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