The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with Yobe state Ministry of Health has called on the survivors of coronavirus in the state to support the campaign against the spread of the pandemic so as to reduce community transmission.
WHO programme manager in the Northeast, Dr. Collins Owili, who was represented by Public Health Officer, Dr. Ibrahim Salisu, made the call in Damaturu, the state capital while celebrating Covid-19 patients who recovered from the disease in Yobe state.
According to him, the World Health Organization under the leadership of the country representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, have keyed into several supports to the state to defeat the disease.
“We are here with ministry of health to celebrate the people of Yobe state and the people who got infected, recovered and have been discharged from the isolation centres, because they have recorded remarkable achievements in the covid-19 control effort.
“WHO have been working with the state ministry of health under the leadership of Dr. Mohammed Lawan Gana in various areas including strengthening and improving health security, sustaining of effective response and at this moment will be reflecting on the gains we have recorded so far,” he said.
He commended the state government for its steadfast to contain the disease, explaining that the good collaboration with WHO and other partners has resulted to low cases of the disease in the state.
The Commissioner of Health, Dr. Lawan Gana, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Hamidu Mohammed, said, “COVID-19 is one of the diseases characterised with stigma because people don’t want to associate with a victim or someone who suffered from the disease, owing to that, survivors need to be celebrated.”
One of the survivors, Dauda Abare, explained that when he was tested positive for the disease, he underwent series of discriminations.
“It was like a death sentence to me, but after my journey to the isolation center, with the help of the healthcare workers, I found out that it was not so,” he said.
Yobe state now has 66 confirmed cases, 54 persons discharged, 9 deaths with only 3 active cases.
