Reps invites Health Minister over handling of meningitis outbreak

The House of Representatives on Thursday April 6, 2017 resolved to investigate Federal Government’s handling of the recent outbreak of Meningitis in parts of the Nigeria.

It has therefore, mandated its Committee on Healthcare Services to invite the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, to brief it on the ministry’s efforts in combating the scourge.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the resolution followed the adoption of a motion entitled “Urgent Need to Curb the Scourge of Meningitis in Nigeria’’ sponsored by Rep. Johnson Oghuma (Edo-APC).

The committee was also mandated to ensure there was no scarcity of the vaccine to treat patients and report back to the house within two weeks.

Moving the motion earlier, Oghuma had expressed sadness with the development saying that the disease was ravaging parts of the country.

He said that the scourge had so far killed no fewer than 230 persons, with numerous others hospitalised.

The lawmaker condoled with families of victims of the disease and said that the extent of the spread of the scourge would have been minimised if adequate proactive measures were taken.

Oghuma said “the outbreak being an annual phenomenon, the Federal Ministry of Health ought to have been proactive to anticipate and put in place adequate measures to address it.

“This ravaging scourge of meningitis may not be over unless measures are taken to curb the spread,’’ he added.