Nasarawa State Commissioner for Health, Dr Gaza Gwamna, has addressed concerns raised by reports of suspected cholera cases at a press conference in Akwanga, where he announced that there are no confirmed cases in the state.
Dr Gwamna revealed that 29 suspected cholera cases were recorded in two local government areas, adding that 19 suspected cases were identified in Kokona and 10 in Nasarawa-Eggon, including one mortality.
“The cases at the moment are still suspected and even the person that died in Nasarawa-Eggon was not confirmed, but treated as a suspected case before his death,” Dr Gwamna stated.
He was confident that all suspected cases were being carefully examined.
Dr Gwamna stated that the state’s Ministry of Health has implemented precautionary measures to prevent an outbreak.
He highlighted the ministry’s collaboration with traditional rulers and stakeholders to increase public awareness of hygiene and sanitation.
He mentioned that disease surveillance officers have been deployed to every electoral ward across the state to enhance monitoring and response. The officers are to report any suspected case to the ministry.
He said, “They are expected to give reports of happenings in their areas on a daily basis to enable the government to take action in case of any outbreak.”
Dr Gwamna announced that the state governor, Abdullahi Sule, approved the upgrade of four Primary Healthcare Centres(PHCs) located in Assakyo (Lafia), Gudi (Akwanga), New Karu (Karu), and Azara (Awe) to improve service delivery. This is proof that the governor is committed to providing quality and affordable healthcare services.