By Bayo Muhammad Alabira, Dutse
No fewer than 65 people have reportedly died of Meningitis and Measles in some local government areas of Jigawa state.
In Mele village of Gumel local government area, 21 victims died of the outbreak, while in Dungundu village 19 people died and few among the affected people survived.
The locals who speak on the epidemic expressed their displeasure over the lackadaisical manner the state government had handled the killer disease in the affected areas.
“Despite the fact that the life-threatening disease has being ravaging the lives of our people for long, there is no serious response from the government”.
However, the community leaders of Mele, Dungundu, Kanya Arewa, Kanya Yamma, Malam Alkashim Yakubu and Akilu Dawaki said intervention they received came from “Save the Children International, (SCI)”.
Save the Children International has also raised awareness, improve preventive and care-seeking practice, provided support to Jigawa state government in response to the disease.
SCI in collaboration with state and LGA, has strengthen capacity of community structures, trained health workers and provided drugs, medical consumables across the 17 health facilities in the state.
Responding, the state Epidemiologist, Dr Samaila Mahmud confirmed that 65 persons died across the affected LGAs.
“We confirmed ten cases of meningitis, the state government has ordered for free treatment in all the general hospitals in the affected areas”.
