Sokoto seeks FG’s intervention as strange disease kills children

The Sokoto state government has sought the federal government’s intervention over a strange disease that killed three children in Isa local government area of the state.

Speaking while receiving the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate and the Chief Executive Officer of Global Alliance Vaccine Initiative (GAVI), Dr Sania Nishtar, in the state at the weekend, the deputy Governor, Engineer Idris Gobir, said 127 children were already infected.

According to him, the state government had responded to the development by deploying team of experts to the area for investigation.

“We therefore seek the intervention of the federal government in order to curtail the disease from escalating further,” he said.

Gobir reiterated their commitment to improve immunization coverage and enhance services at the primary healthcare centers in the state.

“The state is committed. We don’t joke with anything that has to do with healthcare. I know we have a very bad record when it comes to the issue of immunization but it’s something that we inherited from the previous administration.

“We are working seriously with other partners to change the narrative. We will implement all the programmes of Federal Government on polio eradication,” he assured.

The Executive Secretary, Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Larai Aliyu Tambuwal, confirmed that three children died in the outbreak.

Earlier, Pate solicited more approaches and collaborations on improving immunization activities in Sokoto.

on his part, Nishtar noted that they were in the state to engage stakeholders in order to understand how best to improve immunization coverage in the state.