The Senate has directed the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies to carry out nationwide immunization of children and adults that are susceptible to Cerebro Spinal Meningitis.
It also directed the ministry, its agencies and parastatals to work closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in order to acquire sufficient vaccines needed to respond to the outbreak and prevent further cases.
The lawmakers also advised the Nigerian Prisons Service, Police and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to be proactive and prevent outbreak of the disease in their premises and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
These resolutions followed a motion moved by Gbenga Ashafa at Tuesday plenary.
The Senate observed that there is need for the Federal Ministry of Health and its counterpart Ministries at the state level to work together to prevent further outbreak of the disease.
The disease has affected states like
Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger State and the Federal Capital Territory.
At an interactive session with relevant agencies on the outbreak of meningitis, a Director in the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Emmanuel Odu, informed the Senate Committee on Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases, that it would gulp up to $1.1billion to procure vaccines against cerebrospinal meningitis in the five most affected states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Niger.
He explained: “Why we do not stock vaccines against all the Cerotypes is that availability and approval by the international coordinating group, which will need to approve before it is approved to countries is dependent on the country situation and disease pattern. There has to be a confirmation of the outbreak based on international standard before the international coordinating group will approve for release.
“In addition to that, the cost is also another factor. As an example, to vaccinate a total population of 22million in the five affected states will cost $1.1billion; the cost of vaccines alone”.
The disease has claimed 328 lives with 2,524 reported cases.
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