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Despite claims by the Bayelsa State Government that it has curtailed the recent outbreak of measles in Oweikurogha, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) from spreading to neighbouring communities, the death toll of those affected had risen to 25. The initial outbreak of the epidemic last week reportedly resulted in the loss of eighteen lives, including children and teenagers, according to close sources in the predominantly river side community, who added that people are already fleeing to neighbouring areas. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Azipabu Godbless Eruani while speaking to news men during a briefing at his office on Thursday confirmed the incident, but could not give the exact casualty figure. He said the Doctors Without Boarders have moved in to help rescue the situation from escalating. Eruani explained that in order to check the epidemic from spreading, his ministry has sent Vitamin A and other relief materials to boost the immune system of the villagers, just as he expressed dismay that some villagers refuse to bring out their children to be immunised when some health workers visited the area. "As we speak the situation is under control, the Doctors without Borders have also visited the community, but we have a set back. Some people do not want to bring out their children to be immunised when our health workers went there to stop the problem from spreading," he added.
The health boss however pointed out that government would mobilize staff to carry out an aggressive enlightenment campaign in the area and other parts of the state to ensure that people of the state understand the importance of immunization. Describing the measles outbreak as an international problem, the Commissioner noted that more health workers have been deployed to neighbouring communities so that the scourge does not spread to neighbouring areas and called on people of the state not to panic, as the situation is under control. "When this government came on board, a major focus was to improve health care, which underscores why the Chief Timipre Sylva-led administration is building new primary health centres and renovating existing ones so as to bring them to standard," Dr. Eruani said. Daily Champion learnt that the situation is made worse as the only government health centre in the community has been overstretched by the influx of patients there, while the belief of the people has precluded parents from bringing out their children, hence the increase in death; as they belief in supernatural healing. Close sources in Oweikurogha community said if the health centre there is upgraded into a full fletched hospital with doctors and nurses, such scourge would be readily controlled, while feared that more people could contract the dieses, hence some people sought refuge in nearby communities.
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