The Anambra State Government under the ministry of health have organised a two-days residential training for Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNO) in a bid to curb a wide spread of diphtheria and other communicable diseases in the State.
This came as eleven thousands suspected cases of Diphtheria broke out in Nigeria.
News acho reports that Disease surveillance and notification officers, Officers in Charge (OIC), of Federal, State and Mission Health facilities in the State who were participants in the training were taught on overview on surveillance and its tools, Nigeria ES performance challenges and interventions, polio situation update and introduction to AFP surveillance, including questions and answer session.
Addressing journalists shortly after declaring the training open in Awka on Monday, state Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike noted that the government undertook the training as an urgent response to diphtheria outbreaks in various states in Nigeria.
According to the Commissioner, the Healh Surveillance Officers were drawn from the 21 local government areas of the State to train and them with preventive skill techniques as well as preventive measures of disease in their various council areas.
“Their responsibilities is to collect sample of any outbreak in their respective areas and notify the relevant ministry or agency for prompt action, especially, at this harmattan period, where some respiratory track infections could be high”.
“This is the structure we used when the State witnessed monkeypox, Lassa fever, yellow fever and measle. We used the measure to identify diseases sometimes and have it treated or the patient isolated. It is a training of trainers (TOT) Programme. At the end of the workshop, the trainees will go down to their various council areas to trained others”.
“So I urged them to make used of the training for the good of Ndi-Anambra, Obidike solicited”, he added.
The State Epidemiologists, Dr. Emembolu Chuma, in his welcome address, appreciated Governor Charles Soludo in his feat to health services. He said this is the first time such training can be held in Anambra State and the South East region at large.
“This is the first time such health preventive programme in the South East region will be organised, whereby whereby a sitting governor will release fund to prevent a disease outbreak.
“,We are training the DSNO and other health care providers due to the current outbreak of dephtheria in Nigeria. If you can recall, Nigeria recorded the first case in 2022 December in Kano State. Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo been a people-oriented governor, dim- it -fit to release fund for us to prepare for the dephtheria outbreak in case it comes into Anambra State. So we are grateful for the kind support.
Dr Chuma who is also the convener of the programme, noted that the training was solely sponsored by the State government without any support from any Healh partners in Nigeria and beyond.
In their separate remarks, Obinwa Ngozi, a surveillance Officer of the epitomology unit, state Ministry of Health, Awka and Comrade Agbo Ifeanyi, from Idemili north Local Government Area of the State while commending governor Soludo for remembering their efforts at the rural areas, lauded the Anambra Government for organising such training for DSNO across the 21 LGAs in the State.
However, Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by the bacteria corynebacterium species that affects the nose, throat and sometimes, the skin of an individual.
Signs and symptoms of diphtheria include fever, runny nose, sore throat, red eye, neck swelling, cough, thick grey or white patch at the back of the throat or in nostrils.
Diphtheria can be spread through direct contact with infected people, droplets from an infected person coughing or sneezing, and contacts with contaminated clothing and objects.
While it’s
preventive measures includes ensuring that your children are fully vaccinated against Diphtheria with the prescribed three doses of the recommended vaccine, Individuals with signs and symptoms of Diphtheria should visit a nearby health care facility, all health workers with a high level of exposure should be vaccinated against Diphtheria, washing of hands frequently with soap under running water in prevention.
Be vigilante and look out for symptoms of Diphtheria. If your a health worker, maintain a high index of suspicion by looking out of symptoms.
