No fewer than three births were recorded at the flood victims’ camps located in Asaba, an official of Red Cross Society, Mr Francis Agarivie, announced on Friday.
Agarivie, who is the Secretary of the Nigerian Red Cross in Delta, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that two births were recorded at the Saint Patrick’s College camp.
The official who is in charge of the camp, said the third birth occurred at the Institute of Continuing Education camp.
He said that the babies delivered at Saint Patrick’s College camp were male and were delivered on Oct. 2 and Oct. 6, respectively, while the later was a female and delivered on Oct. 11.
Agarivie said that?the babies and their mothers, had been moved out of the camps “in the interest of the babies’’.
NAN recalls that Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan, had at a meeting with political office holders in Asaba on Oct 10, directed that all pregnant women in all the camps in the state?be moved to the General Hospitals during labour.
“Anytime any pregnant woman, in any of the camps in the state goes into labour, she should be moved immediately to the nearest general hospital,”?Uduaghan?said.
According to the governor, the measure is to avert any emergency during the delivery process.
He directed the Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Otumara, to?deploy enough medical personnel, especially doctors and nurses, to the camps.
Meanwhile, ice cream vendors and other hawkers have been barred from the camps in Asaba.
Agarivie, said the measure was to check the recurring cases of diarrhoea among children in the camps.
He said that most of the cases had been traced to the children’s contact with “unfamiliar food items”, especially ice cream.
“We have discovered that the children are reacting to intake of ice cream and things they buy from hawkers in the camp.
“We decided to ban them from the camps, particularly those selling ice cream,’’ he said.
A medical officer in the clinic at St. Patrick’s College camp, Dr Francis Odion, confirmed that diarrhea cases were rampant among the children, who visit the clinic for treatment.
Odion said that from Sept. 25 when the clinic became operational, to Oct. 11, no fewer than 720 patients had been treated at the centre.
He said that the sickness common among children in the camp were diarrhea and vomiting and malaria, while most of the adults had cases of hypertension, depression, arthritis and diabetes.
“We have referred no fewer than six cases involving typhoid and diabetes, to the General Hospital at Okwe, so far,’’ he stated.
At the Immunisation Desk in the clinic, the matron in charge, Mrs Philomena Dikedi, said no fewer than 180 children between zero and five years old, had been immunised against the sis deadly diseases.
They are Tuberculosis, Whooping Cough, Measles, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B and Yellow Fever. ???
Medical records at the continuing education camp made available to NAN, showed that no fewer than 1,100 patients had been treated as at Oct. 11. (NAN)