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Hundreds of children hit by measles in Kano

Category: Lead stories

About 400 children have been admitted into hospitals following outbreak of measles in parts of Kano State, Daily Trust investigation has shown.
The viral infection, which comes with fever, sore throat and blotchy red rash that star’s from the face and spreads to the rest of the body and which can impair patients’ sights and hearing, has been ravaging parts of the state in the past one month.
Our correspondent gathered that new infections have been rampant, compelling some parents to bar their children from mingling with others in an effort to prevent them from contracting the virus.
A housewife in Dakata area of Nassarawa local government, but who would not like to be named, said two of her children have contracted the disease after mingling with infected children in the neighbourhood.
Another parent disclosed that four of his children were recuperating from the infection.
A staff of a pediatrics hospital located in Kano city said an estimated 20 fresh cases were reported daily.
The health official blamed parents who did not get their children immunised against the scourge.
But the spokesman of Kano State ministry of health blamed the outbreak on insufficient vaccines, saying requests for more vaccines had been made to the federal government.
Isma’il Garba Gwammaja told Daily Trust that about 400 cases had been reported in five local government areas of the state, including Gwale, Madobi, Karaye, Kabo and Tarauni.
“The state government has, in collaboration with local governments, carried out immunisation exercise in Madobi and Karaye and will extend it the other affected areas as soon as we get the vaccines from the federal government next week,” he said.
He added that government had already sent drugs to the affected areas.
The spokesperson, however, said no death has been recorded.
“One of the reasons for the outbreak is the fact that parents don’t take their children to hospitals for routine immunisation. We want to call on them to make sure that their children are immunised,” he added.
Another report Daily Trust got at press time is that about 50 children are at the moment hospitalized with measles at Kakumi village in Danja Local Government Area of Katsina State.

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