Anambra State Government has prohibited the drinking of garri in the
state as a measure to prevent the contraction of Lassa fever.
The
state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike, announced the ban
while educating residents of the state on measures to prevent the
disease, which is spreading in parts of the country.
He
said, “The garri you see spread along the highway while you’re
travelling is very risky to consume, especially when you drink it. It is
better and surer consuming the ones you prepared yourself. We are by
this enlightenment prohibiting the drinking of garri in the state.
“Like
any other form of disease, good hygiene practices and taking
precautions over all forms of symptoms among family members and friends
will go a long way to curb the spread of diseases.
“Hand washing
remains an effective way of preventing diseases. Families as well as
corporate organisations should re-adopt the use of tip taps and hand
sanitisers placed in public places.”
Meanwhile, medical doctors
across Kogi State on Tuesday gathered in Lokoja to pay their last
respects to their colleague, who died of Lassa fever on Sunday.
Ahmed died in Irrua, Edo State at the age of 30 after attending to a seven-month-old baby, who died a day after it was admitted.
At a procession held at the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja on Tuesday, doctors expressed their grief in songs.
They
ended their procession at the administrative block of the FMC where the
Chief Medical Director, Dr Olatunde Alabi, addressed them.
Alabi
said, “Actually, the late Dr Idowu Ahmed is one of our new doctors that
we have here and he has been very hardworking and dedicated to his
duties. We are aware that there is an epidemic in the country and we are
trying to put our own measures in place so that we don’t have further
spread of the disease.”
The Kogi State Chairman of Nigerian
Medical Association, Dr. Godwin Tijani, told one of our correspondents
that persons, who had contact with the deceased, had been quarantined.
“We
feel saddened by the death of one of our colleagues. He is a young
chap and after two months, he is no more. We will forever miss him.
“As
I speak to you, some of his colleagues who had contact with him have
been quarantined and some of them had started taking drugs to ensure the
effect is not felt,” he said.