WHO scores Kogi high on fight against yellow fever

The Executive Director of Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Abubakar Yakubu has disclosed that all things being equal, the agency would not expect any yellow fever outbreak in Kogi in the next 40 years.

He also stated that in the course of the continuous investigation, vaccination and feedback on the yellow fever outbreak, the agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other development partners decided to scale up the vaccination to cover other local government areas of the state, adding that WHO was so impressed with their work and scored them very high on the success of the exercise.

The KSSH CDT Executive Director also stated that in spite of the challenges he met on ground in October last year when he assumed duty, and that they were confronted with an outbreak of yellow fever in Yagba East and Yagba West Local Government Areas of the state.

He equally disclosed that the agency in conjunction with the state Ministry of Health, WHO, NPHCDA and other development partners conducted a yellow fever reactive vaccination in Yagba East and west,  adding that the second phase of that vaccination campaign covered Lokoja and Kabba, stressing that the purpose of covering Lokoja and Kabba was to prevent the spread of outbreak of yellow fever that occurred in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

He emphasised that the agency was facing some teething problems occasioned by the lack of proper structure as demanded by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. He listed some of the major problems the agency is facing to include absence of enabling law that will bring all primary health care departments of local government under the control of the Agency in order to achieve primary health care under one roof (PHCUOR) as enshrined in the National Health Policy.

He said the problem was responsible for the lack of proper coordination of primary health care delivery in the state because the state government and local government are working at cross purposes.

He also said under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello and Commissioner for Health, Haruna Saka, the problem was beginning to get desirable attention, adding that an executive bill has been drafted and now before the State Assembly. “I am optimistic that any moment from now the bill shall be passed and the governor will sign it into law,” he said.

Victoria Nnakaike, Lokoja