Meningitis kills 30 in Zamfara
.100 hospitalised 5 burnt in road accident
By ATTAHIRU AHMED, Gusau and TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure
Friday, May 9, 2008
No fewer than 30 people were reported to have died following
the outbreak of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in Anka Local
Government Area of Zamfara State, even as over 100 others
have been hospitalised in relation to the outbreak in the
area.
Investigation by Daily Sun revealed that areas worst affected
are Dangaladima ward and some villages around the local government
area.
Speaking with newsmen who visited the affected communities
on Thursday, the Alhaji Ahmed Sharu said his council, in conjunction
with the State Ministry of Health, has started a massive immunization
of all residents in the area and its environs.
He said the local government council has already purchased
drugs worth N500,000 to combat the disease. He said so far,
no new cases have been reported, while all the affected patients
are receiving treatment at General Hospital, Anka.
“We have isolated a ward in the hospital where patients
with CSM are receiving treatment. Insha Allah, we have overcome
the situation," he said.
He said the CSM epidemic has been kept under control following
the quick intervention of the state government and local government
of Anka.
He advised residents of the area to avoid unventilated places
and to report any case of the disease to the nearest medical
personnel.
The council chairman disclosed that he would not relent his
efforts at providing health care facilities to the teeming
electorates of his area, adding that presently a total of
ten primary health care had been slated for construction and
that already five have reached completion stage.
Meanwhile, five people were reportedly burnt to death in multiple
road accident in Uso along Akure /Owo road in the early hours
of Tuesday.
Daily Sun gathered that the accident involved a luxury bus,
a Toyota Hiace, marked Kano AG76MUZ and a trailer marked XA928BY,
loaded with pepper.
Daily Sun gathered that the mishap occurred as a result of
armed robbery attack.
According to a police source the armed robbers had laid siege
on the road for the coming vehicles.
He added that the hoodlums allegedly threw a plank made with
nails to the road immediately they sighted a trailer loaded
with pepper.
This, according to the source, forced the trailer to stop
suddenly.
In a bid to escape the robbery attack, a luxury bus, which
was coming from Akure rammed into the Toyota bus, which straight
away went up in flames.
When Daily Sun visited the scene, there was no sign that any
passenger died in the luxury bus, but five roasted bodies
were found in the bus loaded with pepper.
Rescue workers, including men of the Federal Road Safety Corps
and policemen, were seen at the scene of the accident, controlling
traffic.
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