The government warned individuals and organizations conducting or planning to carry out any health programme without the knowledge of the state ministry of health that such activities would be investigated and appropriate actions would be taken.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday.
The State Representative on the management board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Tony Okocha, on Sunday, disclosed that the commission was deploying drugs and food items to the Soku community following the outbreak of cholera there to prevent the disease from spreading.
Okocha stated, “At the last Board meeting in Uyo, I was able to move my colleagues in the Board to graciously approve immediate Health intervention to Soku and other satellite villages, stroke with Cholera and bad water-related ailments.
“I am proud to say that we have moved in to mitigate the debilitating effects of the disease and ensure it no longer spreads.”
But the commissioner said an ongoing health outreach in the area (making a veiled reference to the NDDC intervention) had no link with while making a veiled reference to the NDDC intervention said it had no link with the outbreak of cholera.
Dr Oreh further said a team of public health officials sent to the area to investigate the alleged incident and death have not confirmed any such information and urged members of the public to disregard the report.
The statement reads, “The Rivers State Ministry of Health has received numerous enquiries from the press regarding an alleged outbreak of cholera in the Soku community in Akuku Toru LGA.
“Cholera, which is a water-borne infectious disease, is a notifiable disease warranting escalating reports from disease surveillance and notification officers at the community level.
“Public health teams dispatched to investigate these alleged cases, and deaths have so far received no confirmation of such. The ongoing medical outreach in the Soku community is in no way related to any outbreak of cholera.
“Outreaches have always been a way of getting accessible healthcare to under-served and vulnerable populations. However, all such outreach activities must be conducted with approval from and in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health, and as such, no entity should be conducting outreaches outside the coordination of the Ministry.
“All infectious diseases of this nature are to be reported, managed, and escalated by the Rivers State Ministry of Health.
“This statement should, therefore, serve as a strong warning to anyone conducting or planning health activities without due recourse to the Rivers State Ministry of Health. Any such activities found to be carried out without the knowledge and clearance of the State Ministry of Health will be fully investigated and dealt with in order to ensure the protection of the lives of Rivers people.”
It continued, “Therefore, the general public and members of the press are advised to disregard the rumours making the rounds on an ongoing outbreak of cholera and the death of some citizens of Soku Community in Akuku-Toru LGA of Rivers State as it is presently unfounded, misguided, and capable of causing panic amongst citizens and residents.
“The general public is thus urged to remain calm and rest assured that the Rivers State Ministry of Health will continue to be a veritable source of public health information in the state.”
