By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Enugu State Government says it has begun mass vaccination in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area, where a single yellow fever case had been confirmed recently.

“For Igbo Etiti Council Area, confirmed with yellow fever recently, we have started vaccination targeting 269,030 residents,” Dr George Ugwu, Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), told newsmen in Enugu on Tuesday.

Ugwu said that the state now had confirmed yellow fever cases in four local government areas.

He further explained that the state received the single confirmed yellow fever case from the samples sent to the National Laboratory, Abuja very early in the week; while it awaits other sample results.

He said that the state through the ENS-PHCDA had begun a robust multi-sectoral action to contain the disease in the council area.

According to him, we treat a single confirmed case of yellow fever, as it is in Igbo Etiti, as an epidemic and that is why we have moved in quickly to check the spread and cut transmission.

The Executive Secretary said that the target of 269,030 residents for vaccination, which represents 85 per cent of the population, would be for residents between the age range of nine months and 44 years.

“We are leaving no stone un-turned and we have moved in our health educators and mobilisers to further educate the locals as well as already running mass media and traditional media awareness and announce concerning the disease in the state.

“We want them to ensure anybody sick is reported to the nearest health facility for proper diagnostic care in order to check self medication and superstitious beliefs that leads to health complications most times,” he said.

Contributing, Mr Amaechi Nsodukwa, State Immunisation Officer, said that the ENS-PHCDA had trained the vaccinators for Igbo Etiti council area, adding that the ENS-PHCDA had trained and equipped 87 teams, made up of five vaccinators per team for the job.

“Among the 87 teams; 47 teams had been posted to fixed health posts such as the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and 40 temporary fixed health posts, who can move within anywhere beyond the PHC centres.

“It is ongoing simultaneously in 20 wards within the council area and will last for 10 days commencing from today, Nov. 24,” he said.

News Express reports that Igboeze North, Nsukka and Isi-Uzo local government areas of Enugu State had recorded 30 deaths traceable to yellow fever recently.

The state government already started massive yellow fever vaccination of about one million residents in the initial three council areas affected by the disease.

Government equally fumigated the affected council areas.

Initial symptoms of yellow fever include headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Serious cases may cause heart, liver and kidney conditions.