Wednesday 14 September 2011

UCH raises alarm over spread of cholera in Oyo

THE authorities of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, warned that there was potent fear of major outbreak of cholera in the state, if actions were not taken fast to stem it.
The university teaching hospital authorities also claimed that they recorded between 40 to 50 suspected cases, while no fewer than 20 had been confirmed through laboratory tests
A member of the medical team put in place by the management of the hospital, Mr Olusegun Fashina, while speaking with newsmen in Ibadan on the trend, said the samples reflected that all the zones within the state were affected at present.

While noting that the team was put in place by the Chief Medical Director, Professor Temitope Alonge, to monitor cholera-related cases and other water-borne diseases brought to the institution, he described the cholera situation in the state as “very, very severe.”
According to him, the available data gathered so far suggests that the scourge is spreading across and is increasing in intensity.
“From our own hospital’s point of view, it is very severe. This is because we see an average of two cases per day in the clinic, while in the laboratory we have an average of one per day. That is very, very high,” he said.
The team, he said, comprised medical experts from all branches of health care delivery who take samples of patients with cholera-related symptoms from every point of entry.
“Before people are brought to the wards, we have people in the entry and emergency unit which are the entry points to the hospital. We also have in the Medical Out Department (MOD), Children Out Department, as well as the General Out Department. Those are the entry points in UCH.
“Anybody that comes in with cholera-related cases is being promptly attended to. We also take samples.  Once we do the laboratory diagnosis and we establish that it is cholera, we take care of him or her. By so doing, we prevent that person from going back to infect the other people in the community," he said.

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