Lassa fever is an acute and often fatal viral disease, occurring mainly in West Africa.
Advertisement
The latest death from Lassa fever brings the total number of deaths to 43 in the country (from 10 states).
A typical case was Fuka in Niger State, which prompted the Minister of Health, Prof. The patient is a 25 year old student of the Ahmadu Bello University who travelled from Zaria.
The outbreak is so far affecting Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo, Oyo, Plateau states and the FCT, with Niger being the most affected with 48 cases and 16 deaths.
Head, Public Enlightenment Department, Ministry of Health, Dr Nnanna Onyekwere, said the move was to rid such areas of rats which were the vectors for transmitting the fever. While Lassa fever is mild or has no observable symptoms in about 80% of people infected with the virus, the remaining 20% have a severe multisystem disease.
LUTH said on its social media platform, that: “The first confirmed case of Lassa fever now in A&E”.
It is, therefore, necessary that we consider the Lassa fever reports as news for the wise.
Any of the persons in that category with temperature above 38.5, according to Idris, would be isolated so as to prevent the spread of the disease, while they had also been advised on the need to maintain little or no contact with others, at least for now.
However, when contacted yesterday, a source at the state Ministry of Health, who preferred anonymity, said, “As I speak, there is no fresh case of Lassa in Lagos, the only index case is responding to treatment under stable condition and contacts are all under strict surveillance while facilities; and isolation centres have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases”.
“The Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNOs) in all the LGAs in the state have been sensitized on Lassa fever to enhance early detection and prompt reporting of cases”.
Advertisement
This is the price medical doctors and health personnel pay for offering health services to the public.
