An outbreak of malaria has claimed no fewer than 48 lives in the
Gandu area of Sokoto North Local Government of Sokoto State in the last one
month. The Officer in Charge of Kofar Kade Clinic, Mrs Rabi Ahmed-Gandi,
disclosed this in Sokoto on Friday when she received the second consignment of
free anti-malarial drugs from the State Government. She said: “These deaths
were recorded out of the 382 patients who were hospitalised in the hospital
during the period under review. The problem had hitherto reached an epidemic
level, although it has subsided now.” She attributed the problem to the
contamination of the environment sequel to the prevalence of toxic refuse
heaps. Ahmed commended the state government for its swift intervention, saying
that it has helped to stabilise the ugly situation. The state Commissioner for
Health, Dr Balarabe Kakale, said that the state government had provided
essential drugs and medicament to the area. Kakale further said that health
personnel have also been dispatched to the affected area to augment the
staffers at the clinic.
He said: “The Ministry has also commenced a fumigation
exercise against mosquitoes. In the same vein, sanitary inspectors have been
deployed to the affected areas to help in the clean up. They are also
conducting social mobilization campaigns on the need for the residents to
ensure environmental and personal hygiene. We are also partnering with the Ministry
of Environment and the State Environmental Protection Agency, to team up and
evacuate the killer-heaps of refuse.”
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