Mr. Ukah, who stated this in his office in Asaba when officials of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency paid him an advocacy visit, said that the ministry would continue to give priority attention to the health care of children in the state.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Comrade Samuel Dietake, the Basic and Secondary Education Commissioner commended the State Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Development Agency for their quick response to the outbreak of yellow fever in Idumesah and Ute-Okpu communities in Ika north east local government area of the state.
Mr. Ukah, who pledged his Ministry’s partnership with the agency for it’s proposed health campaigns and outreach to schools in the state, said that the ministry would ensure that all schools that have sickbays would collaborate with the officials.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the Agency, Dr. Wilful Orieke Jude, said that they were in the Commissioner’s office to interface with the ministry with a view to soliciting for their partnership for it’s forthcoming advocacy and health campaigns to schools in the state.
Dr. Jude, who enumerated programmes the agency will soon roll out to include the prevention of yellow fever campaigns, vaccinations and immunization of children, added that his team had put adequate response approach to the outbreak of yellow fever in Idumesah and Ute-Okpu communities.
While saying that there was need to enlighten the people, particularly children, on the mode of transmission of diseases such as yellow fever and HIV, he stated that in a bid to detect cases there was need to increase testing capacity, just as he advised that any individual with consistently coughs for two weeks should be evaluated for proper medical attention.