Now, in Kaduna state Nigeria excess intense heat give rise to
outbreaks of epidemics such as spinal meningitis, according to the news
correspondent who said that over the past decades, some critics reveals that
there had been an increasing change in high humidity heat waves globally. These
waves increased as a result of human induced climate change such as environmental
pollution, rise in heat chopping gases in the atmosphere, Deforestation as well
as global warming. These had led to deaths of hundreds of people in the country
especially in the tropics.
Nigeria which also falls in the tropical region of the world is
highly susceptible to the heat waves as such the Nigerian Metrological Agency
has warned Nigerian to prepare for more hot days and Nights. A medical
practitioner DR. HUSSEINI GARUBA, who
spoke on the effect of the heat waves; according to DR. HUSSEINI GARUBA who
said that especially in the children, there is meningitis and even the adult
has meningitis outbreak as well Cholera outbreak, but people may not think that
it is because of the heat.
A deputy Director with the Kaduna State Health Care Agency, MALLAM HANSAN IBRAHIM spoke on
government effort towards this issue, according to MALLAM HANSAN IBRAHIM who
said that the Kaduna state primary health development is working out salvation
for the people of the state on how to go about this hot weather condition
starting with the health workers in the state by inducting them about the
dangers of the issues.
It is imperative for Nigerians to adjust the demands of the
weather and also take precautionary measures as preventions is said is better
than cure.
Now forwarding to the discussion on Issues of Meningitis in
Nigeria and featuring on this discussion issue is DR. CHIKE IHEKWEAZU and the NEWS
CORRESPONDENT who is posing questions to him:
THE CORRESPONDENT: now ask Dr. Chike Ihekweazu; over three
hundred deaths are counting, how did it get to the area?
DR. CHIKE IHEKWEAZU: Thank you the correspondent, you know
these three hundred deaths are from the beginning of the year, from December
2016 till date. So it is an accumulating figure for all over the country; so we
do have outbreak of bacterial meningitis at this time of the year. It is to an
extent related to the weather and to the dusty condition and there is a belt in
West Africa that called the Meningitis belt which includes Northern Nigeria. So
it is not completely surprises that we have these cases, now what had change is
that we have a new strange Meningitis circulating in Nigeria and it is not
completely new because the one that is used to circulate in Nigeria as about
two to three years ago was get rid of by a big vaccination campaign; what had
happened is that new strange meninigitis just emerge which was present in other
part of the world but this is first couple of years we are experiencing such significant
number of meningitis deaths in Nigeria. And there is no commercially available
vaccine for this particular one.
THE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we heard that last week and why is it
so?
DR. CHIKE IHEKWEAZU: now, there is this vaccine produced
but of a very limited stock; so the World
Health Organization (WHO) manages this stock and releases this vaccine only
when there is a confirmed outbreak; so as soon as this things started happening
there is epidemic centre outbreak in Zamfara State in Nigeria. We started
applying and that application went two to three weeks ago and now had been
approved; and the vaccine went last week and we will start an intensive
vaccination campaign in Zamfara state on Friday this week.
THE CORRESPONDENT: Just Zamfara alone?
DR. CHIKE IHEKWEAZU: we will start with Zamfara and we
will be working with Sokoto and Kastina State, and the potential state that
will receive the vaccine.
THE CORRESPONDENT: What is it exactly that has made this strange
meningitis cause such large number of deaths? Is it
that people is not drinking enough water or is it that the house is not well ventilated?
What were the causes?
DR. CHIKE IHEKWEAZU: that is a very good question because bacterial
meningitis is actually treatable illness but let’s start with preventing: water
won’t prevent it, but increasing ventilation at homes will prevent it. But I
don’t want to say avoid rekiodine because sometimes it is not possible in the
conditions we live in Nigeria, it is even in an overcrowded situation. Please
keep your windows open as much as possible to prevent meningitis; practice
personal high hygiene especially hand washing as frequent as you can and keep
yourself and kids clean as possible.
Then secondly, once you have two critical symptoms of meningitis
like firstly facing neck stiffness and secondly an extreme sensitivity to
sunlight. So, if you go out and your children cannot look into the sun and
pulling their heads back in addition to fever and weakness, though I did not want
to mention this because it could still mean other symptoms; but once there is neck
stiffness, please go to a health care provider; As there are treatment
available like antibiotics which is available in all public health facility
especially in the state affected. These are being provided free of charge in
the state affected in Nigeria. We make sure they have sufficient supply with the
critical things as they are coming to health care facility as early as
possible. The era of self medication is really over in Nigeria
THE CORRESPONDENT: Now, there is a temptation and what is it? I
opened my window and there is no air, then what do ? I lock up and switch on air
condition and my fan, now what exactly should I do when I do not find air
around me?
DR. CHIKE IHEKWEAZU: Some people that can afford Air
condition really, meningitis is less likely would happen within that population. Though most of the cases of this meningitis
really come from part of the country where people are overcrowded and poor
ventilation access. They don’t have access to this air condition as you said,
and they are living in an overcrowded environment with poor ventilation.
Therefore, there are a lot of circulations, just as we know that a back yard
manager is always a backyard manager because most of the pollution you breathe
always get into the blood stream and cause you disease but as I said we must do
our best in preventing it, though sometimes it is very difficult to prevent. We
may not get it exactly but if we do these simple preventive measures, high hygiene
by keeping our homes ventilated and goes to hospital when we get ill, at least
these will reduce the burden.
THE CORRESPONDENT:
There is heat wave that had been going on for sometimes now. And people are predicting that this is going
to be the worst in months to come, now, should we be afraid that things like
this should occur?
DR. CHIKE IHEKWEAZU: There are broad weather conditions
in Nigeria, like we are looking forward to the rains, this is early April now,
so the rains will come unless there are major catastrophes but the rain must
come and that will cool down the environment as well as provide us with a natural
safety guard for these diseases and tend to circulate during the dry season;
what we critically do is to make sure we are better prepared for the next
season. The next dry and hot season will come just like the rain always come; and
once Nigerians enter for the disease control together with our partner agency The National Primary Health Care Agency
is already now and learning from this
outbreak as well as preparing for next year.
THE CORRESPONDENT:
Thank you very much National Coordinator Centre For Disease Control DR. CHIKE
IHEKWEAZU speaking on this to core the right invading Meningitis in the country
DR. CHIKE IHEKWEAZU: Thank you very much also
NEWS REPORTER: ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD
CONTACT: +2348186388641
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