By ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA
Following the reported cases of mysterious death outbreaks in the State, the Delta State Primary Health Care Development Agency (DSPHCDA) entered a collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Delta State Directorate in awareness creation on the outbreak of yellow fever claiming lives in Ika North East Local Government Area (LGA) of the State.
Commending the collaboration, Delta State Director of the NOA, Mr. Chris Anyabuine, who hosted DSPHCDA in his office yesterday in Asaba, thanked visitors for the visit and sensitization of the NOA management team on the yellow fever disease, which the NOA will steps down to every nooks and crannies of the State.
The Delta State Director of NOA expressed gratitude to the Delta State Government for the prompt laboratory tests that confirmed cause of the mysterious deaths and for the immediate response with yellow fever vaccination in the affected Communities in addition to the planned State- wide yellow fever vaccination to curtail the spread of the disease in the State.
Anyabuine pledged NOA’s commitments to collaborate with the DSPHCDA to raise awareness on the need for people to embrace the yellow fever vaccination, seek early treatment and adopt preventive measures to contain the spread of the deadly yellow fever disease.
“The NOA formations in the 25 LGAs of Delta State will be part of the NOA State Headquarters aggressive yellow fever sensitization campaign”. He added.
Earlier, the Executive Director/ Chief Executive Officer of DSPHCDA, Dr. Winful Orieke Jude, who led the advocacy team, explained that the aim of the visit was to solicit NOA collaboration in awareness creation on the current out break of yellow fever which is claiming lives in Ika North East LGA
of the State.
Winfu disclosed that following some mysterious deaths in Ika N/E LGA, the State Government took blood samples for testing and yellow fever was confirmed as the cause of death.
He stated that the State Government has began immediate intervention of yellow fever vaccination for the affected Communities of Ute-Okpu and Idumuesah in Ika North East LGA for persons age 9months to 44years and to sensitize the Communities on the preventive measures needed to curtail the spread of the disease.
“Yellow fever is a deadly disease adoption of preventive measures, early treatment and vaccination remain a veritable means of containing the disease and therefore awareness raising is required among the populace and hence the visit to NOA to seek synergy on sensitization on this burning Health issue”. The Executive Director of DSPHCDA reiterated.
Winfu revealed that the State Government was gearing up to flag off a State wide yellow fever preventive vaccination campaign as part of the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy in the State .