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Dr Azeez Adeduntan, the state Commissioner for Health, said this at a news conference in Ibadan on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adeduntan was reacting to a media report of two suspected cases of meningitis in the state.
Meningitis is an acute bacterial illness which is highly contagious.
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The commissioner stated that two of the four patients were found at the General Hospital, Moniya, while the remaining two were seen at private health facilities.
“To further strengthen the suspicion of meningitis, two of these cases had recently travelled to the northern part of the country where quite a number of cases have been confirmed.’’
However, he said that the initially suspected cases could not be considered as meningitis, considering the negative results they got from the clinical diagnosis of samples taken from the patients.
“But, following the established protocol for clinical diagnosis, samples were taken from two cases and laboratory investigations carried out.
“We wish to state that the results revealed no organisms in the cerebrospinal fluids of three of these patients. There has not been any loss of life in all the cases,” he said.
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Adeduntan said that the initially suspected cases could not be considered as meningitis, reassuring the media and residents that the earlier news of an outbreak be disregarded.
He said that there was currently no outbreak of meningitis in the state, reiterating the state government’s commitment towards ensuring a disease free state.
Adeduntan explained that the current type of meningitis experienced in some parts of the country was type C, adding that the type C is tougher than the type A which the country had vaccine for.
The commissioner said that the state had put its facilities on high alert with the deployment of confirmatory resources as well as manpower to all facilities.
He implored the general public to uphold the hygienic practices of regular hand washing with soap and water, especially after changing diapers and using the toilet.
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“They should also embrace regular hand washing after coughing or blowing the nose, avoid touching the face with unwashed hands and ensure that sick individuals visit the hospital,” he said.
Adeduntan urged the people to avoid indiscriminate spitting and nose blowing, overcrowding, self-medication and reduce hand shaking, kissing and utensils sharing with victims.
He implored the people to refer suspected individuals to the nearest public health facility for free and quality care.
The commissioner also enjoined the people to inform the ministry of any suspected case by calling the following numbers 09058704101, 08025245809 and 08073431342.
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