Sokoto State Health Commissioner, Dr. Balarabe Kakale, has confirmed that the death toll of the ravaging meningitis epidemic in the state has now risen to 21.
He spoke during an interview with NAN in Sokoto yesterday, as he  gave an update on the state of high alert declared by the ministry since 20 March.
The deaths were recorded in the seven  local governments of Kebbe, Bodinga, Rabah, Wamakko, Gada, Dange/Shuni and Tureta, mostly affected by the meningitis outbreak.
Kakale said: “The state government has, since Monday, deployed no fewer than 15 medical teams, comprising of over 150 medical personnel. They were deployed across the 23 local governments of the state, fully equipped with ambulances and provided with free drugs, as well as medicament.”
He added that the “emergency response teams are conducting house-to-house  search, definition and management, both at home and the hospitals. They have, so far, treated no fewer than 330 mixed cases of severe malaria and meningitis across the seven top-hit local governments.
”Out of the 330 cases, 40 were confirmed in the laboratories to be cases of meningitis, out of which 14 fatalities were recorded. These 14 deaths excluded the seven deaths earlier recorded in parts of Gada local government.”
Kakale, who  further noted that thousands of other cases were treated at the Primary Health Centres in the local governments, added that  there were some ”imported cases” from Koko in Kebbi State, which compounded the epidemic.
He also lamented that traditional belief in witchcraft was making fighting the disease difficult, with some families refusing to take their suspected patients to the hospitals.
“You will see suspected cases having symptoms of meningitis like vomiting, high fever, headache and steepness of the neck, but, they will not be conveyed to the health facilities.
“The people of the state should disregard  rumours of witchcraft and take all suspected persons to the hospitals early. Keeping them at home will only make the disease worse and cause transmission to other members of the family.”
He counselled them on steps to take to reduce the epidemic and also advised them against sleeping in over-crowded rooms, as well as ensure personal and environmental hygiene.

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