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Commissioner Blames Lagos For Ogun Cholera Cases
The Commissioner for Health in Ogun State, Dr Tomi Coker, on Monday, disclosed that the state has recorded 25 suspected cases of cholera, out of which 9 have been confirmed, with one dead.
Coker, however, said eight of the cases originated from Lagos State, where the carriers traveled to, and reportedly took tiger nut drink.
Coker spoke at a press conference held on Monday in Abeokuta.
She was flanked by the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, the General Manager of the State Water Corporation, Mrs Muinat Jaji, and the representative of the Commissioner for Education, Mr Olumide Majekodunmi.
Report says the Lagos State Government had identified an unregistered tiger nut drink as the primary cause of the cholera outbreak affecting several local government areas, including Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, and Kosofe.
Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi, made this claim in an interview.
“So when we noticed an increase in cases in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos specifically, we went there to investigate. We carried out a survey and found that the common denominator, which was one of the deadly factors, was a tiger nut drink. People who came to the hospitals all identified that they had drunk tiger nut drink. We couldn’t just take their word for it, so we had to take that drink and test it to see what was in it. We immediately sent people out to look for those selling it so we could take a sample.
“From our investigations, we realised that the beverages were not registered, so the producers hadn’t gone through the processes to ensure that what they were producing was safe for the public to consume. We traced it to that,” she said in the interview.
Addressing newsmen in Abeokuta, Coker said eight carriers of cholera had a travel history to Lagos where six of them took tiger nut milk.
She said “The initial 8 cases originated from Lagos state the reported epicentre of the Cholera outbreak and a state that shares a border with 4 of our local governments.
“The 8 cases had travel history to Lagos and 6 of them reported taking tiger nut drink while in Lagos.
“Furthermore, we also promptly diagnosed cholera in 5 of the contacts of the patients with a travel history to Lagos State.”
The commissioner said, prior to the outbreak, as part of the state preparedness, a robust surveillance system was in place in all 20 local government areas, which ensured prompt detection of cases.
Coker said in support of the state response, the state Epidemiology Unit, was on high alert adding that all LGA’s Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers have also intensified surveillance across all 20 council areas.
She said, “Our private health facilities and citizens have been sensitized to heighten their index of suspicion and report any suspected case immediately to the LGA DSNO, and the State response team by calling the following phone numbers 08038642812, 07034214893, and 08084250881.
“All our 20 LGAs have trained rapid-response teams ready to respond to calls at short notice in collaboration with Ogun State Emergency and ambulance service.
“Also, cholera test kits and other consumables needed for treatment have been distributed to all LGAs and designated treatment centres to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment. The treatment of Cholera is free across all government facilities in Ogun State.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Government has confirmed additional five deaths in the Cholera outbreak in the state.
The figure brings the total number of fatalities recorded to 29 with and 579 cases since the outbreak began two weeks ago.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this at a press conference on Monday.
He explained that the death rate was due to patients being presented late at the hospital or brought in dead.
He added that no case had been reported in schools
“For the past two weeks, we have recorded 29 deaths and 579 suspected cholera cases. The 29 deaths was caused by patients being presented late that we couldn’t resuscitate them.”
Health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations are protesting at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.
The protest is against the proposed health sector regulatory bill, which is before the National Assembly.
The protesting health workers are against the bill, claiming that if allowed to pass, it would subject every medical profession to the regulation of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
They maintain that all health professions have their regulatory bodies, and that the new bill was seeking to make other health professionals second-class to medical doctors.
The protesters plan to also go to the National Assembly, where they hope to present their case to lawmakers.
Hundreds of British teenagers will trial social media bans and time limits on apps as part of consultations over new measures to keep children safe online, the government announced Wednesday.
The pilot comes as the government seeks views from parents on whether to follow Australia and issue a blanket ban on social media for children under 16.
Three hundred youngsters aged 13 to 17 will try out different restrictions on social media use over six weeks to gauge the impact on their schoolwork, sleep and family life.
Some will have their social media apps disabled entirely, while others will have no access to them overnight, said the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
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A young student uses her mobile phone at a public school in Planaltina
A third group will have a one-hour-per-day cap on the most popular apps for teenagers, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
The results will be compared to a fourth set of children who will continue to receive unlimited access.
“We are determined to give young people the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future,” said technology minister Liz Kendall.
“These pilots will give us the evidence we need to take the next steps, informed by the experiences of families themselves.”
Australia in December became the first nation to prohibit people under the age of 16 from using immensely popular and profitable social media platforms.
Several other countries are considering similar bans, including France where lawmakers in January passed a bill that would prohibit use by under-15s, which still needs final approval.
The British government has launched a consultation on a potential Australia-style ban, which will also look at measures including age restrictions and banning addictive features like scrolling.
Earlier this month, British MPs struck down proposals by the upper House of Lords chamber to ban social media for under-16s while it awaits the outcome of the consultation, due to close on May 26.
British public figures including actor Hugh Grant have urged the government to back a prohibition, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.
But some experts warn restrictions could be easily circumvented and would rather that tech platforms focus on making their sites safer.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not ruled out a ban.
Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that an Israeli airstrike had killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy.
“Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ navy, Tangsiri, along with senior officers of the naval command,” Katz said in a video statement.
“The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated.”
Since the start of the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the killing of several top Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic republic’s powerful security chief, Ali Larijani.
In recent days, Israeli forces have carried out several strikes targeting the naval assets of Iran.
Last week, Israeli airstrikes hit several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including ones equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft.
AFP
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