The results of clinical diagnoses carried out on eight cases of suspected meningitis in Oyo State have shown that there is no outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis in the state.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdulazeez Adeduntan who was accompanied by his Information, Culture and Tourism counterparts, Mr. Toye Arulogun disclosed this in Ibadan when he addressed a press conference to debunk the media reports that the state has recorded two cases of meningitis.
According to him, as at 2:30p.m on Friday April 7, 2017, there was no confirmed case of meningitis in the state, saying four of the suspected cases were recorded at the General Hospital, Moniya in Akinyele Local Government and another three or four at Oni Memorial Hospital, near Mobil, Moshood Abiola Way, Ibadan.
The outcome of medical examination, he said, revealed no organisms in the cerebrospinal fluids of the patients, adding that there has not been any loss of life in all the cases.
Adeduntan added that the suspicion of meningitis was strengthen on the grounds that the patients had recently travelled to the northern part of the country where quite a number of cases had been confirmed.
He urged the people of state to disregard earlier news in some section of the media, stressing that no confirmed case of meningitis has been recorded in the state as of this moment
“As such, the initially suspected cases cannot be considered as meningitis. We don’t confirm cases based on symptoms and signs; we confirm based on laboratory evidence because meningitis can be mimicked by a lot of other diseases.
“In Oyo state, there are no confirmed cases of cerebrospinal meningitis. So the people of the state should not panic.”
Adeduntan reiterated the commitment of the government towards ensuring a disease free Oyo State, adding that the state has put its facilities on high alert with the deployment of confirmatory resources as well as manpower to all facilities.
He enjoined the general public to uphold the hygienic practices of regular hand washing with soap and water, especially after changing diapers, using the toilet, or coughing or blowing the nose, avoid touching the face with unwashed hands, and ensuring that any individual that is sick should visit the hospitals.
The disease surveillance and notification officers in all the 33 local government areas of the state, according to him, have been put on alert to institute preventive measures, and sensitisation of health professionals in public and private hospitals to promptly respond to outbreak in the event of any occurrence.
He said individuals suspected to have meningitis should be referred to the nearest government hospitals for free and quality care.
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