Via allAfrica.com, a long, informative Daily Trust report: Measles Keeps Ravaging North. Excerpt:
Weekly Trust gathered that some parents especially in the rural areas resort to self medication at homes before coming to the hospitals and superstitious beliefs play major roles here because some people still believe that measles cannot be cured in the hospitals or with orthodox medicine.
Further investigation revealed that some remote rural communities do not have access to the vaccine. It was gathered that due to difficulties in reaching such communities, they are often left without the drugs.
Initially, Hadiza Muhammad, a house wife had no intention of bringing her two-year-old child to the hospital until when she and her husband realized that all sorts of self and native medications would not help matters.
"We started giving him raw fish and then lizard excreta, but his health condition was worsening day by day as such we were warned by our neighbour to as a matter of urgency take him to hospital for proper treatment.
"However, we were aware that it is a communicable disease, so we decided to isolate him so as not to infect other children in the house or the neighbourhood," Hadiza further explained.
The matron of the ward, Mrs. Rahila Umar told Weekly Trust that children with measles are treated and closely monitored and their parents are properly counseled on how to take good care of the infected children.
"Even though there is no mass admission, measles cases are received and treated daily despite the fact that nine months old children are undergoing routine immunization and symptomatic treatments of respiratory tract infections," Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Sabitu Magaji Tsafe has said.
Weekly Trust's investigation further revealed that cases of measles are more rampant in the rural areas because of lack of awareness especially on preventive measures and superstitious beliefs.
A visit by Weekly Trust to some health facilities in three out of the six local government areas in Niger State where some children were reportedly hit by the epidemic indicated that most of the affected children were only treated and discharged.
Data shows that nine children were reported to have died out of the 145 who were infected by the disease following the outbreak in Niger State recently.
