•Minister offers help lines
THE Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said yesterday that 35 people have died in the last six weeks from Lassa Fever outbreak.
Adewole said tests confirmed 14 cases of a new outbreak.
He assured Nigerians that the Federal Government could diagnose the outbeak and that reported cases were confirmed in our laboratories.
Consequently, the minister released help lines to call: 08093810105, 08163215251, 08031571667 and 08135050005.
He said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was coordinating response activities and reporting to him.
The first case was reported in Bauchi in November, last year. Seven states – Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo and Oyo – have since recorded the disease.
The minister, in a statement, said “the total number of suspected cases reported is 76 with 35 deaths, and a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 46 per cent”.
He said: “The Federal Government will continue to enhance its surveillance and social health education, information and communication activities to prevent the disease from spreading further and I wish to call for the support and understanding of all.”
Adewole added that the ministry ordered “immediate release of adequate quantities of Ribavirin, the specific antiviral drug for Lassa fever to the affected states for prompt and adequate treatment of cases, deployment of rapid response teams from the ministry to the affected states to assist in investigating and verifying the cases and tracing of contacts.
“Clinicians and relevant health care workers have been sensitised and mobilised in areas of patient management and care in the affected states.
“Affected states have been advised to intensify awareness creation on the signs and symptoms and general hygiene.”
Lassa fever is an acute febrile illness, with bleeding and death in severe cases, caused by the Lassa fever virus with an incubation period of six to 21 days.
About 80 per cent of human infections are asymptomatic; the remaining cases have severe multi-system disease, where the virus affects several organs, such as the liver, spleen and kidneys.
The onset of the disease is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness and malaise, followed by headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomitting, diarrhoea, cough, and bleeding from mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract, and low blood pressure.