?Malam Yahaya Dan-Sallau, Niger State Commissioner for Health, has said that the state government has set aside N10 million for this year's campaign against cholera.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Thursday that the proactive measure was aimed at forestalling the outbreak of cholera, which claimed 50 lives last year.
Dan-Sallau said that part of the strategy was to purchase drugs ahead of time, while creating adequate public awareness about the disease.
He pledged the state government’s determination to prevent the outbreak of cholera this year, stressing that early preparations would also forestall the spread of the disease.
“We want to be ready before June, a period that is usually associated with the spread of the disease in the state.''
The commissioner, nonetheless, recalled that the intervention of `‘Doctors without Borders'’ and other development partners tremendously helped in checking the menace of cholera last year.
He said that N500, 000 out of the N10 million would be used to purchase drugs, while the remaining sum would be used for people’s mobilisation and awareness creation.
Besides, Dan-Sallau said that the state government had purchased some vehicles for local government councils in the state so as to sustain the polio-free status of Niger through increased mobilisation.
“Niger State has strived hard to maintain its polio-free status and any case now will make all its efforts to come to naught.
“That is why the state government has approved the purchase of vehicles to monitor activities in local government areas close to neighbouring states that recently recorded new cases of polio,’’ he said. (NAN)