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Bauchi: NCDC Intensifies Efforts To End Lassa Fever, Diphtheria Outbreak

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
 Director- General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) Dr Ifedayo Adetifa (2nd right) flanked by Health Officials in Bauchi State on Friday. 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has intensified efforts to end the outbreak of Lassa Fever and Diphtheria in Bauchi State. 

Director- General of NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa stated this on Friday during his meeting with senior officers at Bauchi State Ministry of Health and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH).

Since 2022, Bauchi has consistently ranked among the top three states reporting the highest number of lassa fever cases. 

In 2023, Bauchi recorded 945 suspected cases, with 160 confirmed cases and 33 confirmed deaths. 

News Rider reports that as at October 2023, Bauchi recorded 369 confirmed cases of diphtheria, with over 26 deaths in the Local Government Areas. 

Adetifa promised that NCDC would continuously support the state to address the identified challenges within the available resources.

He advised the state team to implement a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system to enhance the management of laboratory consumables.

While appreciating the warm reception, he  commended Bauchi's past efforts in managing lassa fever outbreaks. 

The Chairman of Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Rilwan Muhammad appreciated the collaborative spirit embodied by the NCDC's visit. 

He thanked the centre for the continued support in disease prevention, detection and response.

Muhammad pleaded with NCDC to assist in providing laboratory diagnostics and consumables in the state. 

At ATBUTH, Adetifa met with the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Yusuf B. Jibrin, who took him on a tour of the hospital's public health laboratory.

Adetifa admired the state-of-the-art genomic sequencing capacity, just as he lauded ATBUTH's efforts in controlling public health outbreaks, 

He emphasized the importance of collective efforts in tackling public health challenges, expressing his readiness for future collaborations.

The NCDC boss noted that the visit underscored the centre's commitment to support states in responding to outbreaks and the shared goal of achieving a single-digit lassa fever prevalence.

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