As the Nigerian government appears overwhelmed by the spread of Cerebrospinal meningtis,(CRM)Nigeria Medical Association,(NMA),key stakeholders in the health sector,have raised concern over lack of Health Emergency preparednes plan,by the country,which they argued is worsening the spread of the Epidemic.
Already,more than 300 deaths have been recorded in the country,with the federal government absolute reliance on the provision of vaccine by the World Health Organisation,WHO,also worsening the spread of the epidemic,since the type C Vaccine is largely scarce.
“Various epidemiological studies have been conducted in the Past on the trend of Cerebrospinal Meningitis,CSM in Nigeria.Type C strain of Neisseria meningitis was involved in the epidemics in the past in Nigeria.
The country has a pattern of climate change and we should have emergency medical preparedness plans that should be activated to avert disasters”Mike Ogirima,the President of Nigeria Medical Association,NMA told BusinessDay in an interview,on the sidelines of the commemoration of World Health Day.
Also,the NMA President further condemned federal government’s reactionary measures to issues bothering on epidemic stating that,”For immunisation to be effective it must have been administered around three months before the period of clinical manifestation due to the latent period”
The NMA President while raising further concerns on over reliance on imported vaccine said our pharmaceutical industries should be challenges and supported to produce consumables.
He said,”Nigeria was able to produce her vaccines in 1947 to fight the small Pox epidemics.What has gone wrong with Yaba vaccines production laboratory since 1991 is embarrasing.
We demand immediate rescucitation of local vaccine production,(LVP) at Yaba and expansion of the scope of LVP at National Vertinary research institute,Vom.Researches as far baxk as 1975 showed the various epidemics of CSM as to the type of strains involved.It is embarrasing again to noted that this epidemic has taken us unaware”he lamented.
In a similar submission,Obi Onwujekwe,a Public Health Expert at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus told BusinessDay via telephone conversation that,”Nigeria has no Public health Emergency Preparedness Plan in the country.There is no system to predict and respond to epidemics and disease outbreaks.
In addition,states are not prepared and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is poorly funded he said.
Nigeria always appear overwhelm by any out break of epidemics,as Monday Osasa,a Public affairs analyst had insisted that emergency plan for outbreak of epidemics remains key in Nigeria’s ability to curtal any form of outbreak.
Recall,the Federal Government has declared that it would gulp up to $1.1billion to procure vaccines against meningitis in the five most affected states.
Currently, the government has accessed 1.3 million vaccines from the World WHO but not sufficient to address the threat posed by the spread of the disease in 16 states, prompting experts to call for a home grown solution that addressed the disease once and for all.
Notably,the death toll of Cerebrospinal Meningitis ,(CSM)has risen to over over 300 deaths, with 2524 people now affected by the epidemic,while more states currently live with the burden of the disease.
Currently,Ninety Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Sixteen (16) States of the Federation are so far affected which includes: Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Nassarawa, Jigawa, FCT, Gombe, Taraba , Yobe, Kano, Osun, Cross Rivers, Lagos and Plateau.
More so,the cost burden is also another factor as vaccination of a total population of 22million in the five key affected states will cost $1.1billion; the cost of vaccines alone,as the federal government has no home grown vaccine for the Type C strain of the CSM which experts say is also worsening the spread.
HARRISON EDEH,ABUJA
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