Paul Omokuvie, Bauchi
On Thursday September 12, 2019, the administration of Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State received encomiums from partners including the Who Health Organisation (WHO), the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA for its campaign to immunise 500, 000 people in Alkaleri and Tafawa Balewa local government areas of the state against yellow fever.
The event was the launch of aerial spray of quelea birds, mosquitoes and reactive vaccination in response to yellow fever and menace of quelea birds, at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Bauchi.
While partners were impressed that the Mohammed-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) administration demonstrated quick response to the outbreak of yellow fever, it was praised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for its promptness to address the menace of quelea birds.
At the flag-off, the Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA), Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, recalled that the Ministry of Health received a report of a confirmed yellow fever case from the Kano State Ministry of Health, linked to Yankari Game Reserve, when a Lebanese visited the reserve on holiday and fell ill. It was later discovered that he was not vaccinated.
He added that the ministry also received reports from Gombe and Borno states of suspected cases linked to the reserve. Four students of the College of Education, Waka-Biu in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State were confirmed dead while 12 hospitalised after a field trip to the game reserve.
He said following the outbreak of yellow fever virus, the first time the state would experience it, a Rapid Response Team (RRT), was set up with the WHO, UNIEF, NCDC, NPHCDA Mohammed said the RRT visited the game reserve on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, to investigate the incident.
He said samples were collected of suspected cases for testing at the National Reference Laboratory, Abuja, and at the Regional Laboratory, Dakar, Senegal. He said investigation revealed that only Tafawa Balewa and Alkaleri local governments had the yellow fever:
“We set up Emergency Operation Centre with 51 samples so far taken to the Central Medical Laboratory in Abuja.” He said of those infected by the disease, no woman or child was reported assuring that the vaccination would curtail the spread.
Mohammed disclosed that the flag-off, which involved spray of affected areas and vaccination against yellow fever, was a testimony of the commitment of the administration to health issues and response to emergency:
“We therefore appreciate Governor Mohammed for approving resources to ensure that the outbreak was curtailed. We have carried out several sensitisation and surveillance since the outbreak. We meet on a daily basis at the Emergency Operation Centre to ensure that all plans are implemented and our partners and the Ministry of Health have been responsive.”
Abubakar Jafiya, the Team Leader from NCDC, said the centre had the mandate to protect the health of all Nigerians and support states when it comes to outbreaks: “For this outbreak (yellow fever), we are supporting Bauchi State for free testing of samples, management of cases and active cases search, manage and promote effective vaccination.”
The team leader commended the governor for providing funds that greatly enhanced the management of the outbreak of yellow fever. He said the NCDC would continue to support the administration to ensure that the health of the citizens were adequately promoted and outbreaks well managed.
Dr Adamu Ningi, the WHO Coordinator in the state, expressed the appreciation of the zonal coordinator of the North East, all partner agencies have been working tirelessly to ensure that the outbreak is confined and curtailed.
The state director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Yusuf, thanked the state government for providing necessary support in ensuring that the quelea programme succeeded. He said as part of efforts to boost food production, the administration was mindful of environmental factors such as pest and diseases that can affect output.
He said the ministry had ordered all the trajectories and roosting sites of quelea birds in the country be identified with a view to addressing their disruptive effects. He said the flag-off would ensure that farmers harvest crops without being short-changed by quelea birds. He appealed to the communities around the 38 spray areas to keep their food and water vessels closed to avoid drift of the poisonous chemicals and avoid consumption of dead birds.
Governor Mohammed stated that the vaccination would be conducted for people in high risks areas of Alkaleri and Tafawa Balewa local government areas to curtail the spread of yellow fever. He urged people to come forward to be vaccinated. He thanked traditional rulers, especially the Emir of Dass, Alhaji Bilyaminu Othman for creating awareness among their subjects regarding the outbreak of yellow fever and the support of WHO, UNICEF and Federal Ministry of Health.
He lamented the menace of the birds on farm produce: “The aircraft came at the needed time. We are leveraging on the Federal Government’s gesture to use the aircraft to spray the areas where the vector carrying yellow fever are believed to be.” He his administration would continue to give priority to health and preventive medicine hence the declaration of state of emergency in the health sector and increase of the health allocation to 16 per cent in the 2019 budget.
The governor said as a demonstration of the commitment of his administration to the sector, N200 million was paid as counterpart funds to the Mellinda and Bill Gates and Dangote Foundation, UNICEF and USAID: “Despite the state of emergency to reposition the health sector, indices such as the rates of infant and maternal mortality are worrisome. I have therefore given marching order to the Commissioner for Health to convene Health Summit to enable us know the gaps.”