No fewer than 20 children have been killed by measles in 18 local government areas of Sokoto state in the last 23 days.
Executive Secretary of Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Sani Labaran, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Sokoto on Thursday.
Labaran described the situation as an epidemic.
He said the deaths were recorded out of the over 300 cases reported to hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the 244 wards across the state.
Labaran stated that several of the children afflicted by the disease were currently receiving treatment at various health facilities across the state.
The scribe said: “The situation has been brought under control, with many of the affected children, aged 0-59 months, treated and discharged from the hospitals.
“Adequate drugs and medicament had been distributed to hospitals across the state.”
Labaran further said that adequate cold chain materials and vaccines had been distributed across the state.
He said that there was plan by the agency to purchase solar-powered refrigerators for the various PHCs in the state to sustain the efficacy of the vaccines.
Labaran regretted that most of the children afflicted by the epidemic were those whose parents rejected the vaccines conducted in the last three years.
The executive therefore advised parents to avail their wards of the opportunity of routine immunisation to prevent further loss of lives.
