Meningitis: Akwa Ibom Govt on red alert

The Akwa Ibom Government says it has placed medical and health works on red alert to forestall any possible outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis in the state.


Gov Emmanuel Udom
The State Epidemiologist, Dr Aniekeme Uwah, said this while speaking in Uyo on Thursday.

He said that government had urged surveillance officers to increase their surveillance by going through hospital records to check any incidence of the disease.

Read: Understanding the ABC of Meningitis

Uwah, who is also the state Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, said that officers had been mandated to investigate any rumour of the disease.

He said that this would give officers the true position of things for them to be on the look-out.

Uwah said that the Ministry of Health had also concluded plans to retrain medical personnel in order to increase their index of suspicion.

He said that government was making contacts to get the needed kits for tests and diagnosis.

Uwah said at the moment there had been no reported case of meningitis in the state.

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“There has been no reported case of meningitis in the state. Case management strategy has been put in place and we have an isolation centre in Ikot Ekpene to take care in case of emergency,’’ Uwah said.

He advised residents to be conscious of the fact that there was an outbreak of meningitis in the country.

Uwah cautioned the people against travelling to states with confirmed cases of the outbreak.

Uwah said the symptoms of the disease include severe headache, fever, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light, among others.

He advised the people to avoid overcrowded rooms, non-ventilated areas and to exercise good personal hygiene.

Besides, Uwah urged the people not to stay close to confirmed cases of meningitis and to get vaccinated against the disease.