NMA encourages sustained action against diphtheria, others

The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Uche Ojinmah, has urged the Federal Government to put in place a systematic pattern of prevention and action to curb disease outbreaks in the country.

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Ojinmah said this in a telephone interview session with journalists against the spread of diphtheria in the country.

The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, had on Wednesday stated that 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory have recorded over 14,000 suspected cases of diphtheria so far.

Speaking, the NMA President said the government should learn from previous outbreaks.

“We just can’t keep working this way. We need to have a systematic pattern of prevention and action. This is another round of diphtheria, we have had diphtheria before, so they are meant to be well controlled now. Nigeria needs to be properly educated. Let us be serious as a country because when things happen, we get active and immediately it is controlled, we stop being active. There should be a steady process of prevention for all the outbreaks,” he said.

PUNCH/Wumi