Sokoto State government has confirmed 35 cases of new Ascites disease in the Isa local government area of the state.
The state commissioner for health, Hajiya Asabe Balarabe, confirmed and expressed disappointment at the health stakeholders in the area for failing to inform the ministry about the emergence of the disease, describing it as unprofessional.
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Balarabe confirmed the outbreak in a statement issued by her media aide, Murjanatu Magaji Sa’Idu, in Sokoto.
She said after getting the report, she hurried to the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, where some affected children from the area were admitted and receiving treatment.
The commissioner disclosed that the ministry has set up an isolation centre for those who have contracted the disease, and provided qualified health personnel and medicines to care for them.
The chief nursing officer of General Hospital Isa, Ummaru Muhammad Ubandawaki, informed the commissioner and her team that they had received 32 suspected cases of the disease, admitted, treated and discharged 30 patients, with only two on admission at UDUTH.
The sole administrators of Isa and Sabon Birni local government areas, Alhaji Isah Muhammad Dan Dela, and Garba Muhammad Kaba, along with the district head of Isa, Alhaji Nasiru Malami Ahmad II, commended the commissioner for taking the time to personally assess the outbreak.
The duo mentioned that the commissioner’s courage and the team’s actions showed the current administration’s commitment to revitalizing the health sector, which is one of its nine-point agenda.
Balarabe also directed health directors across the state to ensure early reportage of new suspected cases in their respective areas.