The World Health Organisation, WHO, has deployed a Rapid Response Team, RRT, to support the government of Kano State in strengthening its COVID-19 response and to address identified gaps.
This decision was made known in a statement by the body to quickly contain the spread of the disease in the state.
Kano state COVID-19 index case was recorded on April 11 but the current figure of the infection has risen to 342 active cases and eight deaths.
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As part of the response strategy, WHO trained and deployed an additional 88 Local Government Facilitators (LGAFs) to support the ongoing COVID-19 response at the Local Government level.
The training which lasted between May 2 and May 4, had in attendance, 88 newly engaged surveillance assistants who would be deployed to the 44 Local Government Areas.
The 88 surveillance assistants, according to WHO, are to strengthen active case search, reporting and contact tracing, risk communication as well as infection prevention and control.
Dr Jibrin Alkasim, the State Coordinator, said that the rising figure of positive cases had thrown up the challenge of following up on several contacts within the state.
He said the involvement of these officers would support contact tracing and active case search in both public and private health facilities as well as in communities.
Dr Alkasim said:
To have a pool of experts that will support response to COVID-19, particularly with respect to surveillance and risk communication, we have to train these facilitators to take the mandate to the lower level.
The WHO also quoted one of the trained surveillance assistant, Maimuna Muhammad, as saying that the training had enlightened her on COVID-19, especially on surveillance and risk communication.
She said:
I have learnt how false information is being spread through social media and how people misinterpret information on social media.
I have also acquired skills on how to protect myself, enlighten the community about the reality of the disease, self-hygiene and protection from infection.
