By Sunday Ogli, Makurd
BENUE State government has said that the state received 820 reported cases of Lassa fever, with 63 of such cases confirmed and 16 deaths.
The State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Yanmar Marcellinus Ortese who disclosed this at a news conference in Makurdi on Monday to mark this year’s World Health Day, said cases of Lassa fever are on the increase in the state.
He noted that two persons are still on admission in the hospital and are in stable condition.
Dr Ortese maintained that the state has experienced multiple disease outbreaks including measles and Buruli Ulcer among other diseases, adding that they are responding to the largest fever outbreak in the history of the state.
The Commissioner lamented that the Health Ministry’s capacity is over stretched, particularly as the state, according to him, lacks a functional public health Molecular Laboratory.
“Additionally, our fight against Tuberculosis, TB is ongoing with the State ranking 6th in the country and 1st in the North Central zone”, he said.
The Health Commissioner stressed the need to establish a state-of-the-art Molecular Laboratory to enhance the State disease surveillance and response capabilities.
On achievements recorded by the government, he disclosed that over 50,000 of the most vulnerable population have been enrolled into the State Health Insurance Scheme under the basic health care fund programme across the 276 political wards of the state.
He further said that 5,500 Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs have also been enrolled in the Health Insurance Scheme thereby optimizing healthcare delivery to these most vulnerable of the vulnerable.
“Our efforts have been further bolstered by the employment of approximately 400 new personnel at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi and procurement of essential medical equipment, enhancing our tertiary healthcare services.
“We call upon all stakeholders across sectors of the Government, international partners, the private sector and the civil society to join hands with us in consolidating our efforts to strengthen our health system to cope with the ever increasing needs of our large population”, he appealed.
World Health Organization, WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, represented by Dr. Mohammed Abdulkarim, WHO State Coordinator, Benue State, averred that consideration of vulnerable groups must be assessed, positing that their needs ought to be purposively integrated into health programmes at all levels to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Care, UHC.
“We know that many in our region still need help with access to quality essential health services due largely to unfulfilled rights.
“This is further compounded by protracted and ongoing crises such as conflicts, climate change, food security, disease outbreak and epidemics.
“The number of people aged 15 and over living with HIV is still high at an estimated 24.3 million in 2021(3.4% of the total population) compared to 15.6 million in 2005.
“This reflects the continued transmission of HIV despite reductions in the incidence of people newly infected and the benefits of significantly expanded access to antiretrovirals”, the WHO director decried.
