Meningitis vaccines go missing in Zamfara

Two officials of Bungudu local council in Zamfara have been ordered to produce the missing meningitis vaccines allocated to the area or be sanctioned.

The affected officials are the local council’s director of health, Rabiu Dansadau and the councillor of health, Sanusi Umar.

Aliyu Kagara, chairman of the state sub-committee for the procurement, management and distribution of meningitis drugs and vaccines, said on Monday in Bungudu that the committee had discovered massive diversion of the vaccines meant for the area.

He said that a total of 400 I.V injections meningitis vaccines was allocated to the area, but only 30 of the vaccines were accounted for.

“When the committee visited the local government, it discovered that 30 persons were treated and there was no trace of the remaining 370 vaccines.

“The two officials must return the drugs and offer convincing explanation of what happened,” Kagara said.

The chairman said that, so far, the affected officials have failed to give satisfactory explanation as to the whereabouts of the remaining drugs.

NAN had reported that patients complained to the state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, when he visited that health workers at some meningitis isolation centres.

Patients pay up N1,000 per vaccine, to get treated, says NAN.

The governor has already set up a committee under the secretary to the state government, Abdullahi Shinkafi, to investigate the matter, while the state house of assembly has also set up its own investigation committee.

A total of 346 people have died of meningitis and 3,145 infected since the reported outbreak of the disease in Zamfara.