 As part of moves to fight and curtail further spread of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM), the World Health Organisation (WHO) has deployed 190 Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) officers to Sokoto State to support the state government’s efforts. WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said the PEI officers from the Nigeria Country Office and Field Offices would work with the Sokoto team at the Polio Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) to plan for the response to the outbreak. According to Alemu, the most affected states by the epidemic are Zamfara, Sokoto, Kastina, Kebbi, Yobe and Niger. In a related development, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Thursday said it had received 2,000 doses of meningitis vaccines donated to the scheme by Sokoto State Government. The state’s Coordinator of the scheme, Alhaji Musa Abubakar, disclosed this in Sokoto at the passing out ceremony of the 1,697 corps members deployed to the state under the 2016 Batch ”A” Stream Two. Abubakar said the scheme had consequently commenced mass vaccination of corps members across the state, as well as its members of staff. He said: “Vaccination started on May 1, and we plan to vaccinate more than 5,000 corps members and staff. The state’s Ministry of Health provided the first consignment of 2,000 doses of the “Type C” strain of the disease, while more would be provided to us after exhausting the first batch provided.” In the meantime, Alemu said through the formidable workforce, the organisation had facilitated the immediate creation of an Incident Management System at the EOC, noting: “Several planning meetings, chaired by the Sokoto EOC Polio Incident Manager with Commissioner for Health in attendance, culminated in the development of a micro-plan that targeted 770,000 susceptible young persons aged one to 21". Source: New Telegraph Online
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