Health officials to account for missing Meningitis vaccines in Zamfara

Charity Nnaji

Aliyu Kagara, chairman of the state sub-committee for the procurement, management and distribution of meningitis drugs and vaccines has said two officials of Bungudu local council in Zamfara have been mandated to account for 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.

Kagara 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,” he said.

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

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

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.