By PETER UWUMAROGIE

Dr. Nuhu Bile, the State Epidemiologist, Gombe State Ministry of Health, on Tuesday said no fewer than 54 snake bite related deaths have been recorded in the state in 2025.

Bile stated this in Gombe during the State Public Health Emergency Management Committee (S-PHEMC) meeting in the state.

The meeting which was supported by UNICEF was chaired by Mr. Manassah Jatau, the State Deputy Governor who is the Chairman of the PHEMC in the state.

Bile, while giving the summary of surveillance activities in 2025, said that in the year under review, 1591 cases of snake bite were presented at the snake bite Hospital in Kaltungo.

He said that the 54 deaths recorded represented 3.4 per cent of the cases while others were treated and discharged.

According to him, the 1591 cases recorded in 2025 was the lowest recorded in four years as 2794, 2594, 2189 cases were recorded in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Bile said that the reason for the low cases was not as a result of the reduction in the burden of the disease but for lack of free and adequate anti-snake venom at the facility.

He said that many persons had resorted to seeking alternative means of treatment because of the unavailability of free anti-snake venom, adding that victims only come to the hospital when cases become complicated.

For Cholera, Bile said 176 cases were recorded in the state in 2025 with five deaths, while Lassa fever cases were 14 with eight deaths.

Dr. Jibril Muhammad, a Consultant from UNICEF Country Office, Abuja, who led the UNICEF team to the meeting, said the meeting was part of UNICEF’s effort at improving public health in states.

Muhammad said that the meeting comprised health officials from Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa and Plateau States.

“This is very important because of the ongoing outbreak of diseases. Currently in Nigeria, we have over five diseases that have reached outbreak proportion.

“Almost all 37 states in Nigeria have an existing outbreak ongoing. The major one that affects most states is cholera.

“A lot of states are involved. A lot of casualties have been recorded in Bauchi and Adamawa states”, he said.

According to him, Gombe has been able to tackle cholera outbreak, that’s why we are supporting other states to come and learn from Gombe, the strategies employed that yielded this beautiful result.

Muhammad urged stakeholders to always implement plans drafted to address public health issues in their respective states. (NAN)