Anokwuru Uche Alexis|19 June 2018
Less than twenty-four hours after receiving a letter signed by the Cross River State Commissioner of Police, CP Hafiz Inuwa, of an outbreak suspected to be Monkeypox in Akunaya County in the Southwest Cameroon Republic which borders Obudu and Obanliku LGAs, the Cross River State Government led by the Honorable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong has embarked on a sensitization exercise in the border community to evade any spread.
The Honorable Commissioner while briefing healthcare workers and security operatives in the community urged them to be on red alert and report any suspected case whilst also guarding themselves against contracting the virus.
"We received a report yesterday of a suspected case of Monkeypox outbreak in one of the bordr communities in Cameroon, and on the instance of His Excellency, Sen. (Prof.) Ben Ayade we moved immediately to sensitize the health workers here and provide them with drugs and other medical consumables to intensify our border security against any disease migration.
The State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNOs) are constantly on sensitization campaign across all the border communities in the State to create more awareness. Dr. Asibong said.
The Commissioner also visited facilities across these communities to check their level of preparedness against any suspected case whilst supplying drugs, medical consumables and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to these facilities. The Executive Secretary of the Ogoja Diocesan Medical Board, Rev. Fr. Joe Nawor, and the Administrator of the Sacred Heart Hospital, Obudu, Rev. Fr. Moses Ndifon who received the items promised to ensure preparedness against any outbreak while also thanking the State Government for moving swiftly in providing the items.
The Director of Nursing Services in the hospital, Mrs. Mary Ingwu also noted that the hospital is very well prepared to manage cases as they come. She also assured continued information dissemination in the area as the hospital is the only secondary facility in the county.
Alexis
Writes from Calabar
