ASABA/Nigeria: As part of its commitment in the prevention of new and reemerging infectious diseases in the State, the Delta State Government has partnered with the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) for the early diagnoses and research on infectious diseases.
The Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Azinge made this known at the one – day training on Monkey Pox disease organized for health care workers in the State held at the Conference Hall, Olorogun Felix Ibru Secretariat Complex recently.
The Commissioner who was represented at the event by the Director, Public Health, State Ministry of Health, Dr Mrs Philomena Okeowo, said that with the establishment of the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR)’s sub-station in the State which covers the States in the South-South geo-political zone, the State was leveraging on the Institute’s available skilled human resource and infrastructure to enable it address issues of infectious diseases.
According to the Commissioner, the objectives of the training included the sensitization of health care workers on the prevention and control of monkey pox disease and other infectious disease, and how to care for suspected cases.
Dr Azinge revealed that the training would keep the participants abreast of how to contain infectious diseases as they emerge, carry out outbreak investigations, know the due processes as regards the flow of report rendering and specimen collection, amongst others.
He revealed that no death had been recorded so far and added that government had made provisions for the free treatment of detected cases (patients) of Monkey Pox disease at both public and private health facilities.
According to Dr Azinge, the Governor Okowa led administration had supported all diseases outbreak intervention in the State through the procurements and prepositioning of outbreak management materials for the detection and management of the disease, provision of logistics for border patrols for early detection through migration or displacement of people from neighbouring or other States of the federation.
Other measures aimed at addressing the disease by government, according to him, included the activation of the State Rapid Response Team, sensitization/mobilization of Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DNSOs) in all the twenty-five Local Government Areas of the State in collaboration with the World Health Organization amongst others.
Resource persons who made presentations at the training were Dr Bassey Anya, World Health Organization (WHO) State Coordinator- Surveillance and Contact Tracing and Dr Anastasia Ojimba, Consultant Public Health Physician, Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, amongst others.
A total of one hundred and thirty-five (135) medical workers drawn from sixty-four (64) government hospitals, Delta State Teaching Hospital, Oghara and Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, participated in the training.
