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By HENRY OKONKWO
As medical experts appear at their wits end towards curbing the spread of Cebro-spinal Meningitis (CSM) ravaging the country, blames, criticisms and even more blames have been heaped on the government for inability at nipping the scourge in the bud.
Widely reported statistics put the death toll from the pandemic at more than 300 people. Zamfara State, where the plague sprung, has the highest number of deaths, while other states like Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Nassarawa, Jigawa, FCT, Gombe, Taraba , Yobe, Kano, Osun, Cross Rivers, Lagos and Plateau have been affected by the new strain of the CSM.
Health Minister, Prof Isaac Adewole, said this was not the first time or the worst epidemic ever faced by Nigeria, but noted that this round came with a difference, as all previous episodes were caused by Neisseria Meningitides type ‘A’, while the current one was registering Neisseria Meningitides type ‘C’ in epidemic proportion for the first time.
As the body count piles, the Nigerian Medical Authority (NMA), lawmakers and even the ordinary Nigerians tongue-lash the state and Federal Government. They accused the government of not being proactive enough in heeding the ample warning by medical experts, who foresaw the outbreak.
The Senate last Monday lampooned the government for alleged unpreparedness. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Primary Health and Communicable Diseases, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, lamented that government’s awareness campaign had remained low across the country until the outbreak worsened. “Prior to this time, we should have been on air at the local level, letting people know that by this time of the year we would have this occurrence. This is not the first time we are hearing about meningitis and we know that most times, it occurs during heat wave. I expect that we should be able to anticipate this every year; not only waiting, but to anticipate either by vaccination or sensitization. From the feelers, we are not getting anything,” he bemoaned.
Also Zamfara State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Council, NMA, and residents also lambasted the state government, accusing it of negligence in the handling of the epidemic. NMA, in its statement, said that it had observed that the state government was not prepared for the outbreak, despite glaring signs of the looming danger.
NMA’s chairman and secretary, Tijjani Abubakar and Mannir Bature, further decried non-engagement of relevant officials and individuals in the management of the disease in the state. “We note that the constitution of the state government’s main committee for the prevention and control of meningitis in the state has no single medical personnel. Therefore, it is unacceptable to the NMA to allow politicisation of the health sector.
“Another issue that worries the NMA was the inadequate provision of drugs for the treatment of identified cases. There is no Emergency Operation Centres for coordinating and updating the stakeholders and general public on the progress as it affects the outbreak. We also noticed that health institutions in the state, especially state primary health centres and the general hospitals are weak and lacking capacity to address the outbreak of this magnitude.’’
On his own part, embattled governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, absolved his administration. Rather, he blamed the epidemic on the sinful acts of Nigerians. He attributed the Type C CSM scourge as a direct punishment from God to the people of Nigeria for their various sinful acts, a position that drew further flaks from Nigerians during the week. “People have turned away from God, and that is just the cause of this outbreak as far as I am concerned. Because people refused to stop their nefarious activities, God now decided to send Type C virus, which has no vaccination. There is no way fornication will be so rampant and God will not send a disease that cannot be cured.”
However, amid fears of likely rise in the death toll, Nigerians have cried out to both governments and health agencies to drop the bickering, and work more at providing vaccines to immune and save them from death.
“With the way the death toll is rising, the last thing we need now is blaming anyone”, said a pharmacist Ms. Ugochi Wilson. “We must all work towards finding help and bringing solutions to Nigerians. And blaming Zamfara State or the Federal Government won’t help us in any way. What Nigerians need now is some assurance from government and medical experts. They need to urge Nigerians to be calm, and give the impression that they are on top of the situation, and that the scourge would be brought under control.”
A Lagos-based banker, Mr. Demola Oni, also added his voice. “I don’t understand why we choose to be playing the blame game, when our house is on fire. We don’t need all these blames right now. This crisis started in Zamfara State. it’s reported to have spread to 16 states of the federation including Lagos and Abuja. So many Nigerians are in danger. There is fire on the mountain, yet no one seems to be running, rather we choose to be blaming,” he said.
“We need more awareness campaign from government and health authorities on how this Type C meningitis could be controlled,” said Frank Okorie, Lagos based businessman, adding: Like the time we had Ebola and Lassa fever outbreak, there was so much sensitization on the disease, but I’m surprised, because they seem not to be giving this one much attention. What is this Type C meningitis? And what can we, average Nigerians, do to prevent it?”
What is Meningitis?
Meningitis is an inflammation of the layers of the brain and spinal cord. This infection is the most common cause of meningitis, with viral or bacterial pathogens transmitted via saliva. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) bacterial meningitis is deadly in about one case out of 10. And death can occur in as little as a few hours. Again, although most people recover from meningitis attack, they face the risk of having permanent disabilities like brain damage, hearing loss and learning disabilities, as a result of the infection.
The common causes of bacterial meningitis vary from age group. Babies, however, face a higher risk of being afflicted when compared to other age groups. Also microbiologists are highly exposed to bacterial meningitis, because they routinely come in contact with the meningitis causing pathogens.
Some symptoms of meningitis include: sudden onset of fever, headache and stiff neck. There are often other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, photophobia (increased sensitivity to light) and altered mental status (confusion). In babies these symptoms might not be easily noticed. However, you must be alert and rush to the doctor when the child becomes irritable, vomits, feeds poorly, or appear slow, or inactive.
Preventive tips:
In their bid to curb this disease, health experts have called on Nigerians to be at alert and to take preventive steps at keeping themselves safe from the scourge. In a public advisory issued by the Federal Government, Nigerians were urged to take these key preventive measures:
•Avoidance of overcrowding
•Sleeping in well ventilated places
• Avoidance of close and prolonged contact with a case/s
• Proper disposal of respiratory and throat secretions
• Strict observance of hand hygiene and sneezing into elbow joint/sleeves
• Reduce hand shaking, kissing, sharing utensils, or medical interventions such as mouth resuscitation
•Vaccination with relevant sero-type of the meningococcal vaccine and
•Self-medication should be avoided.
