Immunization: RSG To Sanction Healthcare Providers For Demanding Money

Any Healthcare worker under the employment of the Rivers State Government who demands for money before administering meningitis A Vaccines will be punished.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr Agiriye Monima Harry stated this recently during a media parley on the introduction of Meningitis A Vaccines popularly called “Men A” in Port Harcourt.
Dr Harry, who was represented by the Director, Community Health Services of the Board, Dr Isaac Opurum, stated that this measure is to ensure that Health workers do not exploit parents who bring their children to health facilities to be immunised.
While calling on parents to avail themselves of the opportunity by ensuring that their children within the age of 9 to 15 months are immunised, he emphasized that the immunisation is free and safe.
All they (parents) need to do is to take their children to the nearest government-owned health facility and get their children immunised against Men A.
“Any health worker found to be collecting money before administering Men A will be dealth with seriously”, he said.
The on-going Men A immunisation, which started last Monday is a federal government immunization programme which was introduced into the routine immunisation programme in the country.
Speaking in a post-media parley interview, the state immunisation officer, Dr Inwon Joseph Urang stated that meningitis is a disease that affects the covering of the brain and spinal cord, resulting in a inflammation of the covering of the brain and spinal cord.
He stated that in children, meningitis starts like a fever, then the child will develop poor feeding ability and a feeling of sickness.
“Children will be irritable, cry uncontrollably and also develop a bulging forehead which would later develop an opening”.
“For adults, they would develop stiffness in the neck.
According to Dr Urang the causes of meningitis include virus, fungi or bacteria, but that Men A is targeted at the bacteria that causes meningitis.
He stated further that meningitis is a respiratory disease and can be easily transmitted through droplets from sneezing, coughing and other forms of droplets, adding that the risk factors meningitis is overcrowding and inhaling of dust containing the droplets, especially during the dry season.
In order to prevent the disease, according to Dr Urang, there is the need to avoid poorly ventilated environments, regular watching of hands and general cleanliness.

Sogbeba Dokubo