By Hassan Zaggi
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has insisted that the role of royal fathers is critical to the success of the current war against Diphtheria in the country.
He, therefore, appeal for their support in order to end the spread of the disease in parts of the country, especially, the north.
He stated this at the third quarter 2023 review meeting of the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care (PHC), in Abuja, on Wednesday.
Prof. Pate noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was aware of the health challenges of Nigerians, hence, is determined to improve the health system.
“We are here to reflect on the progress that has been made in the PHC. We have made a lot of progress in polio but there are still a lot more things we need to do including the residue of circulating polio virus, especially in Zamfara and Sokoto states.
“In some parts of our country some children are still zero dose, they are being missed. This is an area that we will continue to work on. Your support in that direction will be very useful,” the Minister said.
While insisting that the role of traditional rulers is key to ending Diphtheria in the country, the Minister said: “On the Diphtheria outbreak, unfortunately we have it in 19 states, 13 states are represented here. It is a vaccine preventable disease and 98 per cent of those who have Diphtheria have not been immunized. If those children were vaccinated, they would not have contacted Diphtheria.
“We are committed as government to bring it under control. That is why I set up an emergency committee under the chairmanship of the Director General NCDC and the Executive Director NPHCDA and our partners to aggressively work with the state governments as well our development partners to ensure that the spread does not go beyond what it is now.
“Thankfully the disease is under control. There are vaccines. We are mobilizing and appreciate the state governments who have step up their game in terms efforts to address that.
“Your role your highness will be very critical in the effort to control the outbreak of diphtheria.”
Speaking earlier, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuiab, noted two critical health issues have come to the fore since the last meeting of the Northern Traditional Council of Nigeria. They include the introduction of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine and the Diphtheria outbreak in several state.
He solicited for the support of the royal fathers during the HPV vaccination, which, according to him, will be launched next week.
“This endeavor represents a giant stride in our ongoing mission to safeguard the health and future of our nation’s youth.
“Scientifically proven to prevent certain types of cancer, the inclusion of HPV vaccines in our vaccination programs promises to bestow immeasurable benefits upon public health.”
On Diphtheria, Dr. Shuaib said that the disease is centred in Kano as the epicenter “but extending its grasp across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Kaduna and Bauchi bear the brunt of this outbreak.
“There has been over 14,000 suspected cases. Over 10,000 of these are in Kano. Indeed over 97% of cases occur in the aforementioned States with over 600 deaths.
“It is heart-wrenching to realize that over 73% of the reported Diphtheria cases are children aged 1 to 14 years, and 80% of those affected have not received any vaccinations.
“This revelation underscores the dire need for the NTLC and all stakeholders to intensify community mobilization, awakening public awareness and foster acceptance of vaccination services.”
