Benue sets up response coordination centre for unknown disease
The Benue state Ministry of Health and Human Services has set up a response coordination centre at the General Hospital, Oju in Oju Local Government Area following an outbreak of a yet to be identified disease which has claimed many lives.
The state epidemiologist and coordinator, transparency centre, Dr. Samuel Nyitse, who disclosed this in a chat in Makurdi on Tuesday, explained that the general hospital was to serve the people of Oju and Obi Local Government Areas to combat the spread of the unidentified disease.
Also, he said that residents of the affected communities have been warned against consuming water from the River Obi and Oyongo for now, until the cause of the outbreak is ascertained, stating that government has provided an alternative water source to enable residents have access to portable drinking water.
According to him, the ministry of health has already taken samples of the ailment to the national laboratory for examination aimed at unravelling the real cause and nature of the disease.
Nyitse advised people of the state to imbibe the culture of observing basic hygiene and ensure that their environment was free of refuse, pointing out that the state disease surveillance team has been placed on alert to report cases of suspected disease outbreak for necessary action.
A resident of Oju community, Ogbu Olanyi decried government neglect of the two local government areas in Igede land since the return of democracy, saying the lack of social amenities has left residents with the choice of drinking available water from any source.
Olanyi, who said there is no single borehole in the affected communities, pointed out that the said source of the disease outbreak cannot be far from River Obi and River Oyongo which are the only sources of water for bathing and cooking food and has been polluted by chemicals used by desperate fishermen.
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He said even if the source of the outbreak is unravelled by the ministry of health, government’s commitment to curtail the disease would be fruitless unless government provided the communities with portable drinking water and other social amenities.
Responding to a question, Olanyi said he unaware of the yardstick used by the authorities in arriving at the open defecation free status in Oju Local Government Area, since most of the communities lack private and public toilets and called for the reappraisal of the local government to ascertain the true status.
