Nigeria Content Online

No fewer than 13
persons have been killed by cerebrospinal meningitis in Kano during the
ongoing dry season, Kano State Commissioner of Health, Aishatu Kiru,
said at the weekend.

Mrs. Kiru, who
spoke in Kano during the ministerial briefing organised by ministry of
information, said over two hundred people have also been affected by
the illness in different local government areas of the state.

The state ministry of health has, however, embarked on massive vaccination to overcome the outbreak of meningitis in the state.

The commissioner
said the awareness created, and the drugs provided by the state
government, have helped in the reduction of the number of possible
deaths from the meningitis infection.

Mrs. Kiru cautioned the public not to sleep in places without adequate ventilation.

“Instead, we advise
people to stay in an open space where there is enough air ventilation,”
she said, adding that this would help in eradicating the spread of the
disease.

She explained that
the state ministry of health has achieved a lot in the area of ensuring
the safety of people’s health, provision of drugs, working materials,
and enough bed spaces in hospitals.

Strengthened manpower

Mrs. Kiru disclosed
that over 100 students from the state will undergo medical studies in
foreign countries, as part of a deliberate effort to add more medical
doctors to the state’s hospitals.

The state official
also explained that over 5,000 personnel have been employed in
different cadre of the health services in the state, while the
government has also provided them all with necessary equipment, to
enable them carry out their respective duties efficiently.

50 cases of meningitis had, last month, been reported across 18
local government areas in the state. The affected local government
areas were Nassarawa, Kano Municipal, Tarauni, Kura, Kumbotso, Fagge,
Wudil, Gezawa, Ajingi, Madobi and Dala. Others include Bichi, Doguwa,
Minjibir, Dawakin Tofa, Dawakin Kudu, Tofa and Bagwai.