The Enugu State Government says it has mobilised disease surveillance and health focal officers to its boundary with Kogi to monitor the reported strange disease with no clear-cut medical diagnosis yet.
Dr Okechukwu Ossai, the state’s Chief Disease Surveillance Officer, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Enugu.
NAN reports that Enugu State shares boundary with Kogi in the North-west zone, which is within the Nsukka axis of the state.
Ossai said that the ministry had also kept close information sharing with its local health informants to ensure nobody in the remote area would incubate any disease through self medication.
“We have started some local sensitisation among the people, especially on the need to be on health alert.
“We are reminding them on the need to maintain high standard of personal and environment hygiene in our local sensitisation in public gatherings- markets, August meeting gathering and worship places.
“The ministry is also sensitising them on regular handwashing routine within their homes as well as when they return home,’’ he said.
According to him, apart from keeping our disease surveillance and focal officers as well as informants on alert, we believe the people keeping a high hygiene standard will help protect them better.
Ossai, who also doubles as the state’s Director of Public Health Services, appealed to the residents to always go to the nearest health facility to get proper diagnosis and prompt treatment.
NAN reports that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said recently that tests were still ongoing in their collaborating laboratories to ascertain the cause of the strange illness in Kogi.
It is believed from available information that the strange illness in Kogi had already claimed many lives. (NAN)
