Yobe Govt. Strategize More Action Against Lassa Fever
-Trek Africa Newspaper
The Yobe State Government through the frontline Ministries of Information, Health and Human Services and Local Government Affairs, today organised a strategy meeting with healthcare and information personnel from the 17 local government areas as well as doctors and other specialists to discuss new and additional sensitization strategies that would help create maximum public awareness needed to prevent a Lassa Fever outbreak in the state.
The LG personnel at the meeting include Primary Healthcare Coordinators, Disease Control Officers, Healthcare Educators and Local Government Information Officers, amongst others.
Dr. Mohammed Isiaku of the Ministry of Health made a presentation under the title “Overview of Lassa Fever, Updates and Situation” while Umar Yerima of the Primary Healthcare Management Board spoke to meeting participants on “Prevention, Control and Measures Against Lassa Fever”.
It was a hugely interactive one-day event in which frontline health and information personnel were armed with the information and strategies they need to take the campaign against Lassa Fever to the grassroots.
The meeting today is a response to the directive of His Excellency Governor Mai Mala Buni for relevant agencies of the government to continue to do more to ensure there is no Lassa Fever outbreak in the state.
In his speech, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Alhaji Yerima Lawan Mahmoud spoke on the need for the healthcare and information personnel to take the challenge thrown by H.E Gov. Buni seriously and ensure that the public is kept well informed about the dangers of Lassa Fever and how not to fall victim to it.
My speech to the participants also segued to the need to be proactive across the board. I said Lassa Fever is a national health emergency that must be treated with the seriousness deserving of its severity.
In the coming period, sensitization teams would double-down the campaign across the 14 emirates and 17 local government areas of the state, and would interact directly with communities in the grassroots to spread the message on how to prevent a Lassa Fever situation.
