*233 negative, 1 death recorded out of 653 suspected cases
By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
Borno State Government in collaboration with United Nations. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday, organized a one day media dialogue and briefing on diseases outbreaks in Borno State at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Center Maiduguri.
The State Immunisation Officer (SIO), Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHCDA), Alhaji Maina Modu said that Nigeria is a signatory to the global and regional elimination agenda for vaccine preventable diseases (VDP) and Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAS), as one of the effective strategies to enhance herd immunity and prevent outbreaks.
The SIO said Borno State Epidemiological Summary as at October 30, 2023, shows a cumulative number of suspected Diphtheria cases in Borno State, with 653 cases in four local government areas (LGAs), with the following breakdown MMC-294, Jere-191 Biu-80, Mobbar-28,, Mafa-27, Konduga-8, Kwaya-Kusar-6, while five cases each, were recorded from Bayo, and Gubio, two cases from Mágumeri, Shani, and Nganzaí and one case each from Bama, Dikwa, and Kaga.
He added that a total of 407 samples were collected and transported to the
National Reference Laboratory (NRL).
Where out of the 407, a total 274 samples were analyzed, 41 were positive and 233 were negative, while the remaining sample results are pending and one death was recorded among the confirmed cases so far, which informed implementation process in four high risk LGAs out of the 27 in Borno State of Diphtheria OBR Campaign in October, November and December 2023.
On non polio Supplementary Immunization Activities (NPSIAS) for the implementation of 2023 Measles, he said the scope of the 2023 Measles include cluster Age group of 9 to 59 months in four phases from July to November 25, 2023 nationwide, where Kaduna is integrating measles with Yr and the duration is 12 days.
However, he said schedule of Vaccine Administration was planned for target age groups for the measles between 9-59 Months with doses 0.5ml.
He added that the Nigeria has so far, implemented many rounds of measles, yellow fever, meningitis, and tuberculosis (TB) campaigns to improve herd immunity and prevent outbreaks were successfully conducted in 33 states + FCT (Phase 1-5) between 2018 & 2022.
Alhaji Modu disclosed that human beings are the only natural host for Diphtheria with carriers as reservoir and transit directly: person-to-person through respiratory droplets and
Indirectly through contact with skin lesions or contaminated clothing and objects, while transmission can occur as long as the toxigenic bacteria are present in discharge and lesions, which is normally two weeks or less, and seldom longer than four weeks. incubation period is 2 to 5 days (as high as 10 days), while symptoms ranges from mild to severe fever, sore throat, pseudo-membrane, difficulty in breathing or swallowing,, swollen neck with complications such as inflammation and damage to the heart muscles, nerves and kidney.
The SIO further explained that the
treatment of cases and management of contacts involves administration of diphtheria antitoxin (DAT)-given IV or antibiotics therapy (after sample collection) with penicillin or erythromycin Isolation of case and initiation or completion of immunization against diphtheria.
