Queen’s College situation a public health emergency –Old students

The President-General Unity Schools Old Students Association USOSA, Chidi Anselm Odinkalu has described the situation at Queens College in Lagos as a public health emergency.

Since the beginning of January 2017, over 1,222 QC students have been treated at the school’s clinic for abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

In view of this, Odinkalu said in a statement that addressing the situation must preoccupy the attention of the school, public health authorities and the school community.

“Pending independent certification of the school as safe for human activity, it should remain closed. Temporary, alternative arrangements should be made for preparation of students about to take their West African School Certificate (WASC) examinations,” Odinkalu said.

He also noted that 16 students were admitted in various hospitals in the country, mostly in and around Lagos.

Of this number, Odinkalu said nine have reportedly been discharged; two have died, one is still in critical condition at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), having recently come out of coma.

“Independent laboratory analyses have shown that the water sources in the school are contaminated by different forms of E-Coli and Salmonella, among other dangerous pathogens. 23 of 40 kitchen workers and food handlers have tested positive for Amoebiasis; another three reported positive for Salmonella and at least one is positive for Tape-Worm,” Odinkalu noted.

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Continuing, he added that; “The analysis also indicates that the bore holes that provide principal sources of water for the school are too shallow and too close in proximity to the sewage systems, to which the contamination has been traced. Hyper-chlorination, the envisaged short term solution, cannot and does not provide water that is fit for use. An extensive de-contamination effort is needed.”

Odinkalu also blamed the school management for not taking steps to safeguard the children or call in assistance despite clear evidence of a crisis.

“Instead, they appeared bent on concealing the facts and denying reality. When parents cried out, the then Principal appeared around February 23 to blame the situation on “enemies of the school”, denying that “there is no epidemic, epidemic is when three-quarters of the population has died.

“Around the same day, a Vice-Principal reportedly complained: “we are looking after 2,800 students and we are being crucified because two die”. From various levels of the Management of QC then, there was clear evidence of reckless disregard for the young lives in their care or worse,” he said.

Odinkalu called on Federal and State public health authorities to urgently work together with the school authorities on an acceptable remedial plan, whose implementation should be independently verified.

He also averred that pending the implementation of such a plan, re-opening of the school should be deferred.

“Consideration should be given also to suspending boarding facilities for the time being until an acceptable long term solution is found to the cause of this crisis,” he said.

 

 

 

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