About 10 children between the ages of three and 13 have lost their lives to a yet-to-be identified suspected respiratory track infection, which broke out in Kafanchan town of Jema’a local government area of Kaduna State.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital, Dr. Isaac Nathaniel, confirmed the outbreak in Kafanchan.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Jema’a local government area, Hon. Yunana Markus Barde, has called on the citizens and residents alike to proactively act fast whenever they discover children from 0-13 years experiencing symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, blocked airways in the throat, excessive pains on the throat and runny nose.
The local government chairman urged that citizens should take note of such symptoms with a view to arrest the outbreak from escalating and becoming uncontrollable.
Personnel at Primary Health Care Centres across the local government, traditional institutions, religious leaders, and parents, have been advised to act accordingly.
Hon. Markus stressed that some individuals were hiding some of the victims, while the catastrophe won’t affect them alone but the society at large.
According to reports, the outbreak had already claimed the lives of some victims, which if care is not taken, due to ignorance and negligence, the disease may claim more lives.
The local government chairman, however, revealed that experts from the neighbouring Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and within Kaduna State were coming for intervention even as he urged people of Jema’a local government to disclose, expose and convey whosoever is seen exhibiting signs and symptoms of the disease to the Primary Health Care Centre, traditional institutions among other relevant authorities, for prompt response.
