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Tag: Lassa fever

  • Kano intensifies surveillance after recording cases of lassa fever, CSM

    The Kano state government has strengthened surveillance after recording cases of cerebral spinal meningitis (CSM) and Lassa fever in some local government areas (LGAs), an official said Thursday in Kano.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Kabiru Getso, told newsmen that this has also led to government taking urgent measures to ensure proper control.

    He said 20 suspected cases of meningitis were reported in eight LGAs, with only four of the cases being confirmed.

    The commissioner listed the LGAs as Dala, Tarauni, Municipal, Tudun Wada, Gwale, Bebeji, Ungogo and Kumbotso.

    Getso further revealed that the state has also recorded two confirmed cases of Lassa fever in Tudun Wada LGA.

    “The state government has therefore intensified efforts to control the situation.

    “In line with this, the state government has approved the sum of N19 million to mount an aggressive response to combat these diseases.”

    He further revealed that the state has reactivated its Rapid Response Team to respond to such cases, adding that drugs and other items were procured for the team.

    “The state government therefore directs all citizens to be vigilant and report cases of intense headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and neck stiffness to the nearest clinics.”

    Getso also stated that help lines have also been opened to control the situation, just as sensitisation to the diseases’ early signs has also commenced in the media.

    He then urged residents to avoid contact with rats by ensuring the safety of their foods as well as observation of the general hygiene of their bodies and environment.

  • Reps to meet minister over resurgence of lassa fever

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to meet the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, ‎over recent resurgence of Lassa fever in some parts of the country.

    The resolution followed a motion by Sergius Ogun (Edo-PDP) on the need to investigate the resurgence of the fever in Nigeria.

    Ogun said one of the important areas of focus for any government was the health sector.

    This, according to him, is because of its importance to citizens and the dangers that disease and ill-health pose to the safety and security of the populace.

    He expressed concern that in recent times, one of the virulent forms of fever plaguing the nation was Lassa, similar to the Ebola Virus Disease.

    “We are aware that the first case of Lassa fever reported in Nigeria was in 2015 and between August 2015 and May 2016, 273 cases, including 149 deaths were recorded by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” the lawmaker said.

    “We are also aware of a report published on Monday, January 16, 2017 by the Technical Assistant on Communication for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, urging Nigerians to be at alert.

    “This is because Lassa fever is on the rise again with 19 cases and five deaths reported between 2016 and 2017 in seven states.”

     

    NAN

     

  • Lassa fever kills four in Bauchi

    The Bauchi State government has confirmed the death of four patients out of the five cases of Lassa fever in Bauchi, Alkaleri and Ganjuwa local government areas of the state.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Halima Muqaddas, made the confirmation on Friday while addressing journalists in Bauchi.

    “We have confirmed five cases of Lassa fever from January 24 to date. Three cases from Bauchi local government area and the three are dead,” the commissioner said.

    “In Alkaleri, we had one case and the patient died while in Ganjuwa, it was only one case and the person is alive and is being treated.

    “The cases were found in different local governments that we have never had a single case in previous years.

    “This disease is due to the non adherence to advice on personal and environmental hygiene,” she said.

    Muqaddas said all suspected cases would be quarantined at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBU), Bauchi.

    The commissioner directed all health facilities in the state to treat all cases with caution to fast-track diagnosis of the disease.

    NAN

     

     

  • Lassa fever: Cross River puts primary health centres on red alert

    Lassa fever: Cross River puts primary health centres on red alert

    The Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Betta Edu, says staff of primary healthcare facilities has been put on red alert for symptoms of Lassa fever, following the death of a young woman at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

    Edu in a statement made available to The Nation Friday said, “It is unfortunate that Cross River State is reporting for the first time a case of death occurring from Lassa fever despite all efforts made by the state to keep residents informed of prevention of Lassa fever.

    “However, the State Ministry of Health is on top of the matter and several immediate steps has been taken which includes contact tracing of those involved in the management of the patient including the mortian; contact tracing to referral centers that were involved; urgent commencement of prophylactic rivabarin; home quarantine of those involved for at least 7-21 days and shut down of the O and G theater which was used for the patient and other private health facilities visited by index case to be followed up.

    “At the level of the communities, primary health care facilities staff has been put on red alert to watch out for the signs and symptoms of Lassa fever in their patients and report any suspected case to the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency or the contact numbers from State Ministry of Health.

    “A communiqué has been issued to all Primary Health Care workers from my office which contains what to look out for, protocol for management and handling before and during referrals. PHC workers have also been mobilized to begin community sensitization on the prevention of Lassa fever in communities in Cross River State.”

     

  • Why Lagos won’t experience Lassa fever epidemic

    The fear of Lassa fever is the beginning of wisdom for many states. Experts are of the view that Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, has all it takes to prevent a Lassa fever epidemic, writes PETER EJIOFOR

    A man, Livinus Okeke (not real names) lives in a rat-infested house for decades, but unknown to him that rat is death in the house until the outbreak of the ravaging hemorrhagic disease, Lassa fever, in Lagos and other states in January 2016, caused by rats.

    States affected then include Niger, Bauchi, Kano, Edo, Nassarawa, Borno, Kogi, Oyo, Taraba, Plateau, Ondo, Ebonyi, Ogun, Rivers, Ogun, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. On the whole, more than 154 people died of Lassa fever in 24 states in 2016.

    In some areas, it is common to find people killing rats and dumping them carelessly in front of their homes and in the streets without knowing that the dead rat is still poisonous. Unknown to many too, people fail to protect their foodstuffs against rats.

    Rats and rodents generally are vectors that transmit life-threatening infections, especially Lassa fever.

    Vector-borne diseases are infections transmitted by the bite of infected arthropod species, such as rats, mosquitoes, ticks, triatomine bugs, sandflies and blackflies.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) says vector-borne diseases account for more than 17 per cent of all infectious diseases, causing more than 1 million deaths annually.

    No sooner than the first case of the disease was confirmed on Jan. 14, 2016, by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, Lagos State Government set out to curb the menace.

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode instructed the health officials and Environmental Health Officers to rid the state of the vector. This led to the health officers killing rats in markets in the state.

    They say that more than 77,000 rats from different markets were eventually killed. However, the fight lost steam.

    But the government among other things set up surveillance and quarantine centres in the different parts of the state apart from ensuring that schools and public institutions and even homes had sanitizers.

    To ensure that the fight against Lassa fever is won, the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment with Dr Babatunde Adejare as Commissioner, in conjunction with Phosgard Fumigants Nigeria Limited adopted a novel approach to the vector control.

    Phosgard Fumigants introduced a slogan, “Operation Kill Rats, Make More Money In Lagos’’, to depopulate rodents in the state by putting a price on rats. The effort is also to make residents to join in the fight to rid the state of the vector.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Phosgard, Mr Oluwasegun Benson, explains that under the project, rodents multiplying ubiquitously across the mega-city state are to be exterminated from residential places and markets using hi-tech chemicals and equipment that will make their decomposing bodies non-infectious.

    “Everything is going to be water-tight as we are not just going to kill the rats, we are going to collect them using our trained and well-kitted personnel,’’ Benson said.

    Describing rats as destructive and hazardous to nature, the company’s CEO added: “We cannot completely eradicate rodents, but we can control it to a tolerable level.’’

    He notes that with the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos, if measures are not put in place to exterminate rats, it may be difficult to control an outbreak of epidemics.

    Launching the project on October 27, 2016, at Obalende Market, Adejare said that it was pleasing to note that the traders in the markets were complying with set environmental laws.

    He disclosed that to enhance clean environment, the government was promoting the “kill rat, make money ’’in Lagos because of numerous health and economic benefits associated with it.

    Adejare, who noted that the major vectors in the markets included flies and rats, said that rat bites and scratches could result in disease and rat bite fever, while rat urine is responsible for the spread of Leptospirosis which could result in Liver and Kidney damage.

    Another major disease transmitted by rats is Lassa fever.

    He said that economic effect of vectors were funds spent to treat diseases, reduction of profit as a result of contaminated or damaged product and increase in cost to manufacturers who compensate the retailers for items lost to vector invasion.

    Also, fire outbreaks due to the nibbling of wires by rats, pollution of the surrounding with faeces and other waste and other environmental hazards are other effects of vectors.

    The state government also donated logistics, including two Toyota Hilux vans to the Phosgard to ease movement of men and materials in the course of the deratisation.

    The vector control programme approved by Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has moved to the implementation stage, according to Benson.

    Benson says that in between the launch and January 25, 2017, his company had engaged the market executives with the permission of the chairperson of men and women in the markets (Iyalojas) and the Iyaloja-General of Lagos, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo.

    “We have had meetings with her since October 2016 together with the members of her Executive Committee and tried to come out with modalities for safely carrying out the project without any cause for alarm to the market women or contaminating their foodstuffs and so on.

    “We have done sensitisation in markets but we are not stopping at that; part of our resolution is that our advocacy team will go into the markets for continuous sensitisation.

    “The local government we are going to be working with this time is Ikoyi/Eti Osa Local Government Council and will be working at Obalende Market and Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) Market, Ijeh Barracks.

    “Our advocacy team has gone there to sensitise them on the need to key into the project and the overall aim of preventing Lassa fever in Lagos. So, they have keyed into the project and opened their doors to execute the programme,’’ he said.

    He says the advocacy team is also reaching out to individuals after the exercise, and will get a number of people and in turn we buy the rat.

    “We are going to engage in full blown deratisation in Eti-Osa where we will commence the killing of the rats.

    “For some of the rats that we have killed before, we have the statistics per market and at a later date, we are going to publish the statistics of rats that we have been able to kill and the location in which they are killed.

    “This will help us in the future to draw a survey and a basic data collating in terms of the efficacy of the project.’’

    Benson adds that the company had simulation exercises in Census market in Surulere under Coker-Aguda Local Government Council, and a couple of streets. The project proper will now be carried out in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Ikoyi-Obalende market and POWA market in Ijeh barracks.

    Benson says the traders have been mobilised and are now interested in the project such that “some people are not interested in selling the rats because they take it as a civic duty.

    “They believe that if they are not doing anything and the rats within the environment is being killed that part of their contribution is to get the rats and give it to us free instead of selling.

    “But some people are selling it to us and of which we have been doing skeletal purchases. The Phase Two of the project is to recognise key environmental champions, corporate key environmental champions that will provide the amenities and resources for the sustenance of buying of the rats. For now, the company will buy a rat for N10.’’

    With Lassa fever recurring in Ogun which shares border with Lagos State and in some others, it is pertinent that Lagos State residents embrace the project to exterminate vectors in the environment and live a life free of haemorrhagic fever. A stitch in time saves nine.

    • Ejiofor is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
  • Team to kill rats in 465 markets in Lagos

    Team to kill rats in 465 markets in Lagos

    The Lagos State Vector Control Programme is to employ more graduates of the state’s College of Health Technology  (LASCOHET), Yaba, to eliminate Lassa Fever virus  by killing rats from  465 markets in the state.

    Mr Oluwasegun Benson, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Phosgard Fumigants Nigeria Ltd., and the programme’s coordinator, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

    NAN reports that the state government established the programme to eliminate Lassa Fever virus transmitted to humans by killing rats especially in markets and public places in what is called deratting.

    The coordinator spoke shortly after inspecting markets in Ijeh Barracks and Obalande in Eti-Osa Local Government and seven others in Ijora, Apapa Local Government.

    Benson said that Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State had given his approval for automatic employment of 233 graduates of the college from 2012/2013 academic session with effect from July 2, 2016.

    He said the team’s planned employment of more graduates of LASCOHET would further enhance curbing the spread of Lassa fever in the state by ridding it of rats.

    NAN reports that LASCOHET, formerly known as the School of Hygiene, was established by Dr Oladipo Oluwole, the first Nigerian Medical Officer of Health, in 1920.

    Benson explained that under the programme, his members would cover over 465 markets, beginning from next month.

    “The deratisation of the markets will be done every month. We will visit all the markets in each local government in the state once a month.

    “Some markets are big while some are small, the biggest market in Eti-Osa Local Government is Obalende and it won’t take us more than 45 minutes to finish.’’

    Benson also said that his team had taken possession of the equipment to be used for the exercise.

    He said that they would do the exercise at night when they would have less distraction from the public and when the traffic would be light.

    Benson said that before then, his team’s advocacy group would have sensitised the public on the need to cover their foodstuffs.

    “Our team will visit the markets at nights, and we hope we will be able to cover no less than 10 markets and as the project goes on, we will purchase more equipment and employ more people.

    “We will also station some of our equipment within bigger markets for our team to carry out the exercise,’’ he said.

    Benson said that the project would afford the members of the public that killed rats to earn more money because the team would be buying such dead rats from them.

    This is part of the team’s plan to keep their environment free of vector-borne diseases, he said.

    NAN reports that the slogan for the vector control programme is “Kill rats, make More Money in Lagos’’.(NAN)

  • Centre advises health workers against lassa fever

    Centre advises health workers against lassa fever

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has warned  healthcare providers against contracting lassa fever.

    In a statement, it said to prevent lassa fever transmission in healthcare settings, professionals should adhere to universal precautions. Doctors and nurses, the centre said,  should insist on these precautions.

    NCDC said the warning was important to ensure infection prevention and control practices at points of care. ‘’This is because all febrile illnesses must be tested for malaria before treatment; tests that return negative for malaria may be lassa fever and must flag suspicion. It encouraged frontline health workers to report all suspected cases of lassa to their local government disease surveillance and notification officers and/or state epidemiologists.

    The statement signed by the Technical Assistant Communication, Dr Lawal Bakare, said it was encouraging to see that where patients present early and where healthcare workers have a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever, Lassa fever patients were walking out of the treatment centres in good health.

    “When diagnosis and treatment are late, they reduce the likelihood of recovery. Lassa fever is curable when there is rapid laboratory testing to confirm the disease, leading to early commencement of treatment,” he said.

    The centre urged Nigerians to cooperate with their state governments. ‘’Lassa is endemic in Nigeria, and a lassa fever working group has been set-up at NCDC to ensure no state is left behind. Reports from states show prepositioned materials have been critical for states to respond immediately to cases,’’ he said.

    Bakare said the prevention of lassa fever began with awareness, adding that the disease is not only preventable, but also  treatable.

    “Improving food and personal hygiene is key to prevention at the household level. A high index of suspicion and observing Universal safety precautions is important to prevention at the health facility level. For further information on how to protect yourself and family from Lassa Fever contact the NCDC through the toll-free call centre on 080097000010. We also receive feedback through our Facebook and Twitter accounts @NCDCgov.

    ‘’Nigerians can also visit www.ncdc.gov.ng for more information on how the NCDC is protecting the health of Nigerians from Lassa fever and other disease threats,”  Bakare added.

  • Lassa fever again!

    Lassa fever again!

    •Time to kill a preventable deadly disease 

    Roughly one year after the 2016 outbreak of Lassa fever, the Federal Government has confirmed the presence of the infectious disease in seven states. Affected states include Plateau, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Rivers, Taraba, and Edo. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 19 cases of the fever in seven states and a total of six deaths so far. This year’s outbreak of the fever may spread to more states, if proper action is not taken immediately to prevent an epidemic.

    Between mid-May 2015 and August 2016, 289 citizens were infected by Lassa fever, which caused the death of 154 patients. This huge loss of lives pushed the NCDC to create a Lassa Fever Eradication Committee under the leadership of a former WHO virologist, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, to provide clues on how to prevent future outbreak of the disease. The committee had made recommendations to the government well ahead of this year’s dry season. What could have prevented full implementation of the committee’s recommendations?

    The acknowledgment by the chairman of the committee that Lassa fever is not seasonal but perennial in the country is alarming: “If you are not hearing of new cases, it is not that the disease is not occurring, but because our disease surveillance is not up to par. We deceive ourselves that it’s a seasonal disease, but the fact remains that it occurs throughout the year. At least, three people are diagnosed of Lassa daily somewhere in the country.” It is worrisome that the country still plays host to a disease that has been around for decades and whose prevention methods had been identified by the World Health Organisation. It is also a matter of grave concern that at a time that the country is about to overcome the danger of malaria, Lassa fever, another preventable disease, is fast becoming a mass killer.

    We believe that citizens should have heard many reassuring words about eradication of Lassa fever long enough. Time is ripe for government at all levels, especially a Federal Government that came to power on the promise to improve health care, to give Lassa fever the attention it deserves. There are both short-term and long-term interventions that call for urgent attention.

    On the short-term side, the current spreading of the fever has to be arrested through provision of efficient surveillance units in each state and the FCT. There is need for deployment of doctors to states with special needs in the fashion of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Frontiers). It is shameful that citizens are dying and that more may die of infections caused by rats in the 21st century.

    On the long-term side, the country needs to invest in research and production of Lassa fever vaccine solely or in collaboration with other countries that are already working in this area. The federal and state governments need to implement policies to guard against the disease. Since this disease is preventable through proper personal and community hygiene, government must pay more than lip service to promotion of hygiene through health education and infrastructural support to citizens in economically depressed communities that are conducive to breeding of rats. Proper hygiene is difficult to achieve, particularly in urban communities that lack access to water and electricity.

    The Minister of Health had the right words about this year’s outbreak of Lassa fever:”I call it an embarrassment because as a nation we cannot witness Lassa fever every year; it is rather abnormal for a nation that has resources like we do to be witnessing such epidemic… We have lived in a state of denial of the disease, we handle it with characteristic laxity, laissez-faire, negligence, sloppiness, slackness, disregard, triviality and freewheeling abandon.” The challenge is for the government to back the good words of the minister up with right actions, in the country’s interest.

  • Four die of Lassa fever in Plateau

    Four die of Lassa fever in Plateau

    Four persons have died of Lassa fever and five cases were confirmed in Plateau State since last December, it was learnt yesterday.
    Commissioner for Health Kunden Deyin told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that 80 per cent of the mortality rate was due to late presentation of patients to health care facilities.
    Deyin said: “The mortality rate is as high as 80 per cent; this is because people report very late. Lassa fever is best managed when patients start taking the drug within the first week of contracting the disease.
    “The symptoms are similar to that of malaria; symptoms such as nausea, body weakness and joint pains; it is at advanced stage that bleeding from the eyes, nose, mouth or private part occur.”
    The commissioner, who said getting drugs for treatment was difficult as it is not sold in the open market, added that the state was trying to access the drugs from the Federal Ministry of Health.
    According to him, healthcare workers in the state are on red alert and have “high index of suspicion”. The ministry has also begun sensitisation in Jos-Bukuru and the 17 local government councils to enlighten the people on preventive measures.

  • Lassa fever: Ogun declares 396 persons safe

    Lassa fever: Ogun declares 396 persons safe

    Ogun State Commissioner for Health Babtunde Ipaye yesterday said the 396 people kept under surveillance for having primary and secondary contacts with the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer of Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Abeokuta, who died of Lassa fever last year, have been declared free, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) standard.
    The commissioner, who spoke to reporters in Abeokuta, said another suspected case was recorded with about 50 contacts traced to the victim.
    He noted that blood samples of 19 of the 50 contacts came out to be negative.
    According to him, the victim died at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and cannot be counted for Ogun State.
    He said the remaining 39 secondary contacts have been placed under close monitoring.
    He explained that none of the contacts have shown abnormal temperature and that the medical officers would continue to monitor them until the specified period in line with WHO standard.
    Ipaye advised the public to report any malaria symptom that may have exceeded three days of treatment to the nearest general hospital, Ministry of Health or call 09099140121 and 09099140122.