Panic As Measles Ravages Benue State Displaced Persons Camp, 10 Children Infected

It has been reported that additional cases of measles have been identified among children at the Agagbe Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, situated in the Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.

On Monday, five children had reportedly been infected with measles at the camp but the number of sufferers had risen to 10 two days after, Daily Trust reports.

Ibaah Terna Jacob, who is the chairman of Agagbe IDP camp in Gwer West LGA, confirmed on Wednesday that more children had contracted the disease.

He said the parents of the affected children continued to rely on herbs for treatment of the ailment because they have no money to seek medical attention.

Jacob added that a volunteer medical practitioner from a private hospital near the camp who had visited to ascertain things for himself discovered more cases of the measles.

“He found 10 children – five boys and five girls affected by measles,” he said.

The camp manager also disclosed that following the media reports about pregnant women giving birth in toilets at the camp, an official from the Benue State Ministry of Health visited on Tuesday evening for an update on the matter.

He said, “On Tuesday at about 5:35pm, Mr Joseph Ude came to IDP camp Agagbe for updates on health challenges in the camp. He interviewed the woman that gave birth to a dead child, Mrs Ioryoosu Udisugh and asked where she gave birth she told him it was in the toilet.

 “He asked to be taken there (toilet), which she did; he asked her whether she attended hospital while pregnant but she said ‘no’ because of money. He then took photographs of her in the toilet.”

Contacted, the Director of Public Health Services in the State Ministry of Health, Dr Igbagbul Shember Agela, had yet to respond to a text message put through his telephone at the time of filing this report.

Agela earlier said that he was attending a meeting and would prefer a text message sent to his telephone.

However, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA’)s Planning and Research Officer in charge of IDPs, Mimi Tion, on Monday told journalists in Makurdi that action to be taken about the IDPs situation was underway.