ACUTE BACTERIA MENINGITIS OUTBREAK CLAIMS SEVERAL LIVES IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS IN YOBE 29-02-24
By Sadiq Aminu About 20 people were reported to have died while over 250 were hospitalized and some discharged after an acute bacteria meningitis hit some government owned boarding and day schools in Yobe State.
The State Commissioner for Education Dr. Mohammed Sani Idriss made the disclosure in an interview with Africa 247 correspondent in Potiskum.
Dr Idris said the virus, was first reported from Government Science Secondary Schools Potiskum and Federal Government Girls College Potiskum, where over 100 students were infected.
He explained that the State Government has ordered the relocation of the Headquarters of Ministries of Education and Health, and the office of Director Teachers Service Board to Potiskum LGA, due to its large numbers of schools
” Yobe State Governor has ordered the ministry of health to mobilize more doctors and drugs to Potiskum” he said.
He called on parents to calm down and allow health workers to administer all necessary vaccines to their wards, as the government has no plans to kill any school child.
” I want to use this opportunity to call on parents to avail their children to be vaccinated, the doctors administering the vaccines are our own children, and no one want to kill his brother.” the commissioner added.
Dr Idris said an isolation center has been created at Yobe State Specialist Hospital Potiskum and in all the secondary schools affected, and a special duty shift has been designed to monitor the activities of health personnel and report hourly to the office of the state governor.
When contacted the principal Federal Government Girls College Potiskum, Hajiya Halima Sule Bello said about 63 girls were infected and tested to be all positive.
She added that an isolated center has been setup in her school for proper medical attention.
Confirming the outbreak, the Medical Director, Specialist Hospital Potiskum Dr. Ayuba Zakar explained that an alarming number of patients reported to the facility, some were discharged and other were transferred to the designated isolation center and few of the lost their lives.
He called on parents and care givers to report any kind of sickness to the appropriate health facility for proper medical attention
Schools Affected by the virus are Government Science Technical College Damagum, Federal Government College Buni Yadi, Fika Government Secondary School, Government Girls Science Technical College Potiskum, GSS Zadawa and Federal Government Girls College Potiskum among others.
Acute bacterial meningitis is a rapidly developing inflammation of the layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord (meninges) and of the fluid-filled which can cause death in a very short time.
Some of its symptoms include: Headache, High fever, Feeling confused or sleepy, Bruising easily all over the body and rash on the skin.