In an effort to halt the cases of Lassa fever currently putting the Nigerian health sector in overdrive, the National Assembly has urged the Federal Government to consider giving out free rat killers to Nigerians in order to control or possibly completely eradicate the disease vector. According to a report presented by the office of the Special Assistant to the President on NASS Matters, members of the senate commended the Hon. Minister of Health for proactive measures already taken to manage the outbreak.

The Minister was invited and to be accompanied by other relevant health agencies to brief the Senate on the outbreak of the disease and to explain how far the Ministry has gone in its effort to curb further spread of the disease, the report stated. The Senators also urged the Federal Government, Health agencies and non-governmental organizations to carry out holistic and aggressive sensitization at markets, restaurants, neighbourhoods, communities, offices and schools on the disease.  The Senate also wants the public in States affected and those not affected, to be educated on preventive measures.

In its commitment to bringing effective medical service delivery to residents of the state, the Lagos State House of Assembly, through its Committee on Health Services, Tuesday ordered the closure of the blood bank section of Gbagada General Hospital. The committee, which was accompanied by the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency HEFEMAA, took this action after discovering some unethical procedures during an inspection exercise of the hospital. Chairman of the Committee, Segun Olulade, who lamented the unhealthy situation at the blood bank unit, authorised the immediate sealing off of the unit.

The HEFEMAA team leader and Executive Secretary, Dr. Mabel Adjekughele observed that the blood bank was in a bad state, with screened and unscreened blood not separated and advised that the bank be sealed. The committee also visited the Cardiac and Renal Centre also located in Gbagada General Hospital, where the Director of the Centre, Prof. Babatunde Olabode Green told the committee that some of the acquired world-class medical equipment are not functioning, either due to improper installations or poor quality of installation materials. Prof. Green also blamed power supply for the failure to run the facility to its full capacity.

PHARMACISTS under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have appraised the health sector in Nigeria even as they made twenty-three recommendations on how to improve services in the country. President PSN, Ahmed I. Yakasai, yesterday, at a press conference in Lagos said his vision is to strengthen the society with collaborative, participatory, responsive and transparent leadership.

Yakasai said he plans to establish a Medicines Information Centre in collaboration with United Kingdom (U.K.) Medicines Information Service, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and Monitor Health Care. He said this is with the aim of finding ways of helping to reduce adverse drug events and medication-related errors, reducing prescription, dosage, and duplicate therapy errors, providing standard terminology and improved data entry, helping improve organizational efficiency, providing access to continually updated, evidenced-based clinical content and enhancing patient safety.

The federal government will tomorrow inaugurate a National Lassa Fever Action Committee in view of the outbreak of Lassa fever recorded in the country. The Director, Media and Public Relations in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Boade Akinola, stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja yesterday. The statement also quoted the minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewale, as indicating that the ministry would convene an Emergency National Council on Health meeting to discuss the on-going Lassa fever outbreak in the country.

According to the statement, the committee will be inaugurated during the emergency meeting, scheduled to hold tomorrow. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister put the number of reported cases to 129. He made this known on January 14 while addressing the Senate Committee on Health, headed by Senato Lanre Tejuoso, on the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria. Meanwhile, The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called on government to improve existing response mechanism to ensure rapid response in cases of disease outbreaks in the country.

Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and other health unions have in recent times called on the Federal Government on issues relating to withholding of staff emoluments and denial of other legitimate privileges such as annual increment of salaries inadequate or obsolate equipment in wards and clinics as well as security breaches among others. According to the various unions in the health sector, they are confident that the enforcement of the public service rule on the tenure of Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Directors in the Nations’ tertiary hospitals can avert the problems rocking the health sector in Nigeria.

The unions in an interview with LEADERSHIP, said government can avert unnecessary unrest in the various health institutions by ensuring due process in its appointment. It will be recalled that a circular from the Head of Service dated 27th of July 2009 was signed by former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Stephen Orosanye, with the title: Interpretation of Public Service Rules on Compulsory Retirement Age/Year of Service in Relation to Appointment of Serving Public Officers, reads: “The attention of the Federal Government has been drawn to the need to correct the interpretation of the public career officers who are serving as Executive Directors or Directors-General, Chief Executives of parastatals, agencies and government-owned companies.

The Ebonyi Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources on Monday at Ugwuachara in Abakaliki destroyed 1,500 birds, to prevent further spread of the Avian Influenza, popularly known as Bird Flu, to other farms in the state. The state Commissioner, Mr Uchenna Orji, who made this known to newsmen, said that the ministry swung into action in order de-contaminate the affected farm. “We have destroyed 1,500 birds and the feeds, to avoid further spread to other poultry farms. “We went into action following the test results which revealed that the birds had been attacked by the Avian Influenza.’’

He said that the ministry had declared a state of emergency in the poultry industry, to alert members of the public and poultry farms owners to report cases of affected birds. He added that the ministry would place surveillance on neighboring communities and poultry farms, to avoid any spread of the disease. “Ebonyi is an agrarian state with crops, fish farming and poultry among others, and the ministry is alive to its duties, responsive and responsible to ensure that farmers in the state are protected from disease attacks.

The Federal Government has disclosed that Lassa fever has spread to 17 states, saying that the epidemic has claimed 63 lives out of 212 suspected victims from 62 local government areas in affected states. The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, stated this yesterday during the emergency National Council of Health meeting in Abuja on the outbreak of the disease. Adewole listed the 17 affected states as Bauchi, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Nasarawa, Lagos, Delta, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Zamfara and Kogi as well as the FCT.

He added that there is high level of denial and conspiracy across some states, adding that health managers should not deceive executives by the pretence and silence. The minister described the denial of Ebonyi State to report five suspected cases and one death as conspiracy of denial. He said every state should consider itself at risk and put measures to contain and prevent the disease. Adewole said the federal government would maintain high level of alert all year round to celebrate Lassa fever obituary next year.

The federal government has alerted that Meningitis Type ‘C’ is on the prowl and like other severe diseases, it has claimed several lives and is threatening to do more in the absence of vaccines. Meningitis is a serious and often deadly disease in which an outside layer of the brain or spinal cord becomes infected and swollen, it is usually caused by a virus or bacterium. This was announced by the Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Abdulsalam Nasidi at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, during the  emergency National Council on Health on Lassa fever outbreak which had all commissioners of health in attendance.

He said Type ‘A’ meningitis has been successfully dealt with but with time, it has resurfaced with a different face which is referred to as Meningitis ‘C’ and has claimed several lives.He called on state governors‎, especially in the north-west, to start planning and warming up towards the introduction of vaccines in order to fight the disease to a halt. He said early preparation will forestall more victims and casualties. “There is a need to inform us that there have been reported cases of Meningitis ‘C’ in our country and it is killing lives. The Type ‘A’ has been successfully dealt with and now we are battling with the ‘C’ type. I call on all state governors especially those of the north-west to start warming up to introduce vaccines and must not rest on their oars.”

One child has been reportedly died of measles in Hausa community, Sabo, Ibadan, Oyo State while 32 suspected cases were identified. Acting Director, Public Health, Oyo State Ministry of Health, Dr Taiwo Ladapo in a statement in Ibadan on Wednesday blamed the only confirmed death on the failure of the parents to seek medical attention when they noticed the child’s condition. He said health officials from the state Ministry of Health, World Health organization, University College Hospital and other development partners have intervened in the measles outbreak recorded.

According to him, the ministry was first notified of the outbreak on January 11, which prompted the development partners, including the Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, to move into the area the following day for proper investigation and intervention. Within a week of stepping into the matter, he said that 32 suspected cases of measles were identified in Sabo, which he said was now being managed by health personnel at the Primary Health Care Centre within the community.