By CrossRiverWatch Admin
The Director General of Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Betta Edu has also joined the state health team to clear the air on some news reports that a suspected case of Poliomyelitis involving an infant, Anthony Edet Eyibio, has been detected in Ekpene-Eki Community of Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.
She made the clarification after she visited the village in Odukpani where the suspected case was rumored. She decried the poor handling of the child’s health while assuring that the state will do everything possible to assist the family and support the boy.
According to Dr. Edu, the case was not a confirmed case of Polio as widely circulated by some media organizations. She said the clinical manifestation of the purported claim looks more like talipes equinovarus (club foot), a congenital malformation which the child has had since birth.
She added that the child in question doesn’t have flacid acute paralysis and that more over, diagnosis of polio is laboratory based not clinical.
“Samples have been taken to Ibadan and we are confident it won’t result to a case. We want to assure everyone that the level of polio immunization coverage in hard-to-reach areas which including Ekpene-Eki is very high, they will be no likely Polio case as insinuated.
“The Governor of Cross River State Senator Ben Ayade is investing a lot in health care and immunization. Just two weeks ago, he provided funds for immunization services to be carried out in hard to reach areas during the Maternal Newborn and Child health week; which Ekpene Eki is one of them.”
She noted sadly that although the family of the child in question has a believe that their children should not be given immunization, they allowed health workers to immunize their last child.
Also speaking during the visit, the mother of the child said, “This ailment was noticed when he was about three months old.”
she called on Government to assist the family treat the young Anthony in order to give him a better hope for the future.
The family of the boy appreciated the concern shown by the DG and the state especially for coming to the village to examine the situation while giving praises to the Governor Ben Ayade for having such a passionate technocrat in his cabinet.
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