Lead poisoning killing Nigerian children
Source: Agencies |
June 8, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HEALTH workers have set up emergency treatment centers in northern Nigeria for scores of children suffering from lead poisoning and are racing to contain contamination that has already killed more than 160 people.
High levels of lead have contaminated water supplies in at least five communities in Zamfara state, close to where residents were illegally mining for gold. More than 350 cases have been reported since the start of this year and 111 of the dead are children, many aged under five.
The government sought to assure its 140 million residents that authorities were on top of the crisis with no new cases reported in the past seven days.
"The outbreak is now under control. There is no need for the general public to panic," said Minister of State for Health Suleiman Bello.
"The cases are receiving treatment and environmental remediation or decontamination is ongoing in the affected communities."
Nigeria has asked for help from international agencies including the World Health Organization, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York-based anti-pollution consultancy the Blacksmith Institute.
The Dutch arm of aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), which works in northern Nigeria, has brought in special drugs to treat villagers found with high levels of lead in their blood.
Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, one of the co-ordinators of the emergency response, said villages had been screened and patients were being taken to treatment centres away from the exposure zone where they would be kept for 28 days.
"They have been able to characterize the epidemic in terms of who is affected, where is the most affected and where is the source of the problem," Sani-Gwarzo said.
High levels of lead have contaminated water supplies in at least five communities in Zamfara state, close to where residents were illegally mining for gold. More than 350 cases have been reported since the start of this year and 111 of the dead are children, many aged under five.
The government sought to assure its 140 million residents that authorities were on top of the crisis with no new cases reported in the past seven days.
"The outbreak is now under control. There is no need for the general public to panic," said Minister of State for Health Suleiman Bello.
"The cases are receiving treatment and environmental remediation or decontamination is ongoing in the affected communities."
Nigeria has asked for help from international agencies including the World Health Organization, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York-based anti-pollution consultancy the Blacksmith Institute.
The Dutch arm of aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), which works in northern Nigeria, has brought in special drugs to treat villagers found with high levels of lead in their blood.
Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, one of the co-ordinators of the emergency response, said villages had been screened and patients were being taken to treatment centres away from the exposure zone where they would be kept for 28 days.
"They have been able to characterize the epidemic in terms of who is affected, where is the most affected and where is the source of the problem," Sani-Gwarzo said.
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