By Suzan Edeh

Bauchi— EIGHTEEN cases of measles have been reported at Dambam Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sani Malami, confirmed the development when he spoke in an interview with Vanguard  in Bauchi,  yesterday.

Malami said that already, the state government had sent drugs like antibiotics and vitamin A supplements to the affected area to prevent the disease from spreading to other communities in the local government.

The commissioner said: “Last week, we recorded 18 cases of measles in Dambam Local Government, but the state goovernment is stepping up efforts to ensure that adequate preventive measures such as equipping all the primary Health Care Development Agencies and General Hospitals across the state with drugs that will help combat any fresh outbreak of the epidemics.

“Presently, there is no general outbreak of the disease in the state. It is only in Dambam that we recorded some cases.”

While appealing to parents to ensure proper hygiene in their environment to prevent outbreak of diseases like cholera, Malami also urged them to report any suspected case of measles to the nearest government hospital.

Meanwhile, Vanguard investigations revealed that  most of the government hospitals and Primary Health Care Development Agencies were filled with nursing mothers who brougth their sick babies for medical attention over fever related cases, indicating symptoms of measles.

A 23-year-old nursing mother, Hanatu Gambo, told Vanguard at the Teaching Hospital in Bauchi that her eigth- month-old baby had been sick for seven days, despite all the medical treatment she had offered to him.

She said: “For some days now, my baby had been very sick. He has been displaying symptoms of fever like vomiting, frquent stooling and high temperature. I treated him at home, but his condition has not improved, so I decided to bring him to the hospital for proper medical attention.”

When contacted over the development, the Executive Chairman of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr.Niseer Umar said that the agency was currently monitoring cases of measles in all the 20 local government area of the state.

“We have deployed our health perosnnel to monitor the situation in all the local government areas of the state and the state government has taken all the neccessary precaution to forestall any outbreak of the epidemic.This is the heat period and it is associated with all manner of diseases, particulary in children,” he said.