Bauchi records 5 polio cases in 2 LGs

Five polio cases were
recorded in two local
government councils of
Bauchi State from January
to July this year.
The state immunisation officer,
Mohammad Musa disclosed this
to newsmen in Bauchi, saying
the two local governments that
recorded the virus cases were
Bauchi and Toro Local Government
Areas.
Musa said four cases out of the
five were recorded in Bauchi Local
Government, which is the
state capital, while only one case
was recorded in Toro Local Government
Area about 100 kilometres
away from the Bauchi metropolis.
He explained that the state unit
of the immunisation exercise
had dispatched about 500 vaccination
officers to these two local
governments and that about
450,000 pupils were being targeted
for the vaccination exercise
to do away with the disease.
He said the state HIV prevalence
stood at 2.0 percent, making the
state fifth lowest in the country
and the lowest in the North East,
while the current prevalence of
leprosy in the state is 0.26 per
10,000, surpassing the WHO target
of one per 10,000.
Dr. Lawan stated that the agency
had supported maternal and
child health in the state through
funding of maternal, newborn
and child health week as well
as handing over of malaria plus
package drugs worth N177million
to State Primary Health Care
Development Agency.
The immunisation officer advised
parents to always co-operate
with the vaccination officers
whenever they come for
the house to house vaccination
exercise, especially by producing
their children for the necessary
vaccination.
Meanwhile, the acting chairman
of Bauchi State Agency for
the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria, BACATMA,
Dr Lawan Sa’idu told journalists
that 3,551 persons had tested
HIV positive in the state out of
62,326 that had been counseled
and tested.