Remain Shut

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said, yesterday, that Queens College, Yaba, will remain shut because results of tests conducted on the water facilities in the school were not satisfactory.

Early in the year, there was outbreak of diarrhea disease, which killed three students. .

The governor, who spoke through his Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said he was not satisfied with the results of two of the tests carried out on the water facilities in the school.

His words: “I can’t tell you when the school will be re-opened.

“It will remain closed because the tests carried out on water treatments in the school showed that there are still many organisms and with this, we can’t allow the school to be reopened.

“When the school will re-open largely depends on the positive result from their water system.

“So far, we have carried out laboratory tests on five of their water sources.

“We are satisfied with three and until the remaining two are not fully satisfied, the school will remain closed.”

The governor said available records showed that 40 cases were admitted in various public and private hospitals; 37 cases were discharged after full recovery.

He condoled with the families of the deceased students and admitted that three students of the school have, so far, died since the outbreak.

Ambode added that due to the multimicrobial nature of the disease occurrence, sporadic cases might still be expected as a result of which students of the school may have to undertake fresh tests.
“Because of the polymicrobial nature of this occurrence, continuous screening, follow up and monitoring will continue for all students and staff of the school.”
He charged proprietors of schools in the state to ensure adequate environmental sanitation and hygiene within the school premises.
Alerting residents of the state on the outbreak of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in the country and the dangers it poses, Ambode allayed fears of any outbreak in the state.
“CSM is a dangerous and a life threatening disease that affects the thin layers of the tissue around the brain and spinal cord of an infected human person and it is caused by bacteria.
Lagos has no CSM case, but we must take precautionary measures to forestall it,” the governor said.