Published Date: 2010-08-23 15:00:03
Subject: PRO/EDR> Measles - Africa (23): Nigeria
Archive Number: 20100823.2946

MEASLES - AFRICA (23): NIGERIA
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[1]
Date: Fri 20 Aug 2010
Source: AllAfrica, This Day report [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/201008200001.html>


The Federal Government has expressed fears over the sudden increase
in the reported cases of measles in some parts of the country from
455 confirmed cases in 2009 to 4771 as at yesterday [Thu 19 Aug
2010]. The minister of health, Prof Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu,
raised the concern at the opening of the stakeholders' meeting on the
integrated measles eradication campaign in Abuja yesterday.

As part of quick response measures to arrest the situation, Chukwu
said the Federal Government had ordered vaccines/syringes worth over
NGN 2.1 billion [USD 14 million], with additional NGN 2.7 billion
[USD 18 million] used for logistics and personnel cost to commence a
new phase of the immunisation campaign. The minister, who was
represented by the permanent secretary in the Ministry, Mr Linus
Awute, said the Ministry had received reports indicating a sharp rise
in the number of cases of measles in most parts of the country. He
said the government's efforts to stamp out the disease risked being
eroded if action was not taken to address the situation.

"We have received reports that as at this time last year, 2009, we
had 455 confirmed cases of measles as against 4771 in 2010, which is
a 10-fold rise in the number of cases," he said. Chukwu said the
country had since 2005 battled to eliminate the disease, mobilising
almost every instrument to achieve the 52 million vaccinated children
in the process. He explained that as a result of the intense
campaign, the incidence of measles [had been] brought down from 18
000 to one per million. He also noted that the campaign against
measles had in the past years recorded an impressive mark leading to
67 per cent reduction in mortality rate thereby helping to boost
Africa's ability to achieve the global target of 90 per cent
mortality reduction.

While lamenting the latest state of affairs, the minister said the
government's policy is to avert every death as much as possible no
matter the constraints. "We as leaders will not stand by and watch
with helplessness this kind of situation. Otherwise the future of our
country will be at risk. As a nation, we are committed to providing
the vaccines and over the years we have lived up to this commitment.
"In order to avert this epidemic, the government is ready to provide
these vaccines/syringes estimated to cost NGN 2.1 billion [USD 14
million]. Buying the vaccines alone cannot get it to the children; we
need to mobilise transport, logistics, personnel, data, material, and
the whole country. About NGN 2.7 billion [USD 18 million] is required
for the operations," he said.

Out of the estimated budget, the minister said development partners
had expressed willingness to shoulder 50 per cent of the
responsibility, while the Federal Government, states, and local
governments would provide the remaining funds. He solicited the
support of other relevant ministries in the effort to mobilise the
nation to ensure a successful immunisation exercise, which has been
fixed for between January and February next year [2011].

The Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency
(NPHCDA), Dr Muhammed Pate, said the immunisation campaign against
measles was being embarked upon to avoid any further escalation of
the disease. "We do not want by 2011 to say we have accumulated cases
of measles. By next year [2011], we could start having thousands of
cases and we do not want that to happen. This is why we want to
prevent it," he said.

The stakeholders' meeting comprised the federal Ministry of Health,
Members of the National Assembly, Commissioners for health from
states, local government chairmen, WHO, UNICEF, and Red Cross as well
as the special assistant to the President on Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs).


[Byline: Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Adebiyi Adedapo]

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ProMED-mail
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******
[2]
Date: Fri 20 Aug 2010
Source: Yahoo News, Reuters report [abbreviated, edited]
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100820/hl_nm/us_nigeria_cholera>


"Recent cholera cases are mainly from the northeastern part of the
country," said Dr Henry Akpan, head of epidemiology in Nigeria's
ministry of health, adding that 4665 cases had been recorded in
Africa's most populous nation since January [2010].

As well as cholera, Nigeria is also fighting a measles epidemic. The
disease, characterized by a high temperature and red spots on the
body, has killed more than 1400 people in Africa this year [2010] in
some of the most serious outbreaks seen for a decade. Health Minister
Onyebuchi Chukwu said Nigeria had confirmed 4771 cases in 2010, a
10-fold increase on the same period last year [2009]. He said
government would provide NGN 2.1 billion naira (USD 14 million) of
vaccines and syringes to combat the epidemic.

[Byline: Nick Tattersall]

--
Communicated by:
Dr Farukh Paul, Analyst
Dr Barry Dyer, Manager
Medical Information and Analysis
International SOS UK Ltd.
Landmark House
Hammersmith Bridge Road
London W6 9DP
UK
<barry.dyer@internationalsos.com>

[ProMED-mail thanks Barry Dyer for drawing attention to this
information. In May 2010 the total for the whole of the African
continent was 64 00 cases of measles and 1100 deaths. These large and
deadly outbreaks of measles in 30 African countries threaten to
reverse gains made against the viral disease in the past 2 decades,
the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in May [2010].

More than 1100 deaths from measles have been reported among 64 000
known cases in Africa over the last year, with Nigeria, Chad, and
Zimbabwe having had the largest outbreaks. The preceding reports
quantify the current extent of the outbreak in Nigeria, but
information on the case/fatality ratio in Nigeria is lacking.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Nigeria is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/007*>. - Mod.CP]

See Also

Measles - Africa (22): Malawi 20100817.2854
Measles - Africa (21): Zambia 20100806.2669
Measles - Africa (20): Zambia 20100714.2360
Measles - Africa (19): Zambia 20100629.2162
Measles - Africa (18): West, Southern 20100623.2095
Measles - Africa (17): Malawi 20100620.2073
Measles - Africa (16) 20100619.2063
Measles - Africa (15): Malawi 20100511.1538
Measles - Africa (14): West, Central 20100424.1333
Measles - Africa (13): Malawi 20100422.1302
Measles - Africa (12): Zimbabwe 20100419.1274
Measles - Africa (11): Zambia 20100413.1203
Measles - Africa (10): South Africa (WC) 20100408.1132
Measles - Africa (09): Nigeria (BA) 20100310.0781
Measles - Africa (08): South Africa (WC), Zimbabwe (BU) 20100302.0692
Measles - Africa (07): South Africa 20100212.0503
Measles - Africa (06): Nigeria (BY) 20100202.0360
Measles - Africa (05): South Africa (Cape) alert 20100202.0358
Measles - Africa (04): Nigeria (BY) RFI 20100129.0317
Measles - Africa (03): Zimbabwe (MV) 20100120.0232
Measles - Africa (02): Zimbabwe 20100120.0229
Measles - Africa: Namibia (KU) 20100117.0195
...................................cp/mj/mpp

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