House of Reps to investigate FG’s handling of meningitis outbreak

The House of Representatives invites the minister of health, Prof Isaac Adewole, to brief it on the ministry’s efforts in combating the meningitis scourge

- The lower chamber also instructs its committee on healthcare services to ensure there is no scarcity of the vaccine to treat patients and report back to the house within two weeks

- House member, Oghuma, expresses sadness that the disease is ravaging parts of the country unchecked

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate federal government’s handling of the recent outbreak of meningitis in parts of the country as the death toll from the disease across several states increased to 336.

The House has therefore mandated its committee on healthcare services to invite the minister of health, Prof Isaac Adewole, to brief it on the ministry’s efforts in combating the scourge.
The lower chamber also instructed the committee to ensure there was no scarcity of the vaccine to treat patients and report back to the house within two weeks, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion entitled “Urgent Need to Curb the Scourge of Meningitis in Nigeria’’ sponsored by Rep. Johnson Oghuma (Edo-APC).

Moving the motion earlier, Oghuma had expressed sadness with the developing, saying that the disease was ravaging parts of the country unchecked.

He said that the scourge had so far killed no fewer than 230 persons, with numerous others hospitalised.

The lawmaker condoled with families of victims of the disease and said that the extent of the spread of the scourge would have been minimised if adequate proactive measures were taken

The House has therefore mandated its committee on healthcare services to invite the minister of health, Prof Isaac Adewole, to brief it on the ministry’s efforts in combating the scourge.

The lower chamber also instructed the committee to ensure there was no scarcity of the vaccine to treat patients and report back to the house within two weeks, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion entitled “Urgent Need to Curb the Scourge of Meningitis in Nigeria’’ sponsored by Rep. Johnson Oghuma (Edo-APC).

Moving the motion earlier, Oghuma had expressed sadness with the developing, saying that the disease was ravaging parts of the country unchecked.

He said that the scourge had so far killed no fewer than 230 persons, with numerous others hospitalised.

The lawmaker condoled with families of victims of the disease and said that the extent of the spread of the scourge would have been minimised if adequate proactive measures were taken.