The scourge was reported yesterday at the Central Hospital in the port city of Warri, Warri South Local Government Area.
SarahaReporters can exclusively report that the Cerebral Spiro Meningitis which was recorded in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara last month with devastating effects has spread to Delta State as residents express concern over the situation.
The scourge was reported yesterday at the Central Hospital in the port city of Warri, Warri South Local Government Area.
A patient at the hospital, who identified herself as Oghenekome, told SaharaReporters that he had gone for treatment and sighted a few people discussing in groups about the recorded case of meningitis.
The Consultant at the hospital, Dr. Ngozi Chukwubeni, also confirmed the development, saying a female patient had been diagnosed after exhibiting symptoms of meningitis that include a headache, vomiting and neck pain.
"We have carried out laboratory checks on the patient and applied antibiotics and she is so far responding to treatment," the consultant revealed.
"We have immediately reported the case to the Delta State Ministry of Health and we on our part are carrying out sensitization program among people in the state with a view to educating on how to prevent the scourge," she said.
"There is no cause for alarm and we will not back down in our effort to ensure that other cases are checked before they spread."
Several calls put to the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge, went unanswered but a senior staff at the ministry's Department of Health Education and Sensitization who pleaded anonymity said four suspected cases had been reported from different hospitals across the state but declined to name the hospitals.
"We are handling the cases in the best possible way and the situation is so far under control," the officer said.
At a stakeholders meeting hosted in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of health, participants were informed of government's effort of containing meningitis in the epicenter of Zamfara State as well as 18 other northern states where few cases were recorded.
But SaharaReporters can confirm that inadequate funding is posing a serious threat to combating the scourge.
