The Delta State government yesterday announced the discovery of another person infected with the cerebrospinal meningitis disease.

The state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Nicholas Azinge, told journalists that the fresh case was reported at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba.
This brought the number of infected persons to four, with three at the FMC, Asaba and one at the Central Hospital, Warri.

Azinge explained that Neisseria meningitides caused the disease in one of the patients, while the causes were yet to be ascertained in the other cases due to some complications.

He said: “The case in Warri was confirmed to have been caused by Streptococcus pneumonia, which is an organism that is hardly associated with an outbreak. “The unconfirmed cases in Asaba and Warri responded satisfactorily to treatment and have been discharged. There are currently two cases being managed at the FMC, Asaba.”

The commissioner disclosed that the state’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) has been following up on the cases to curtail the spread. He said the 25 local councils’ Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNOs) had been directed to intensify awareness creation on the disease’s prevention.

They were also asked to heighten their surveillance to guide policy decisions. He explained that arrangement had been concluded with the Paediatrics Departments of the Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara and Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba to send experienced medical doctors to the field.