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Tag: Lassa fever

  • Edo confirms six cases of Lassa fever

    Edo confirms six cases of Lassa fever

    The Edo Government has confirmed recording six cases of Lassa fever in the state.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Aihanuwa Eregie, told newsmen in Benin on Monday that the cases were confirmed at the Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo.

    “Among the six cases, one is from Plateau while the remaining five cases are from Edo.

    “Among the five cases from Edo, four are from Estako West local government area while the remaining case is from Uhumwonde area of the state,” she said.

    Eregie said that the disease was a serious threat to residents of the state, adding that Edo harbours most of the cases of the disease diagnosed in Nigeria.

    “Lassa fever is a haemorrhagic viral disease caused by Lassa virus which is transmitted from rats, of the family called Mastomys, to humans.

    “The symptoms of the disease include severe illness with fever and at least one of the following signs: bloody stool, vomiting blood or unexplained bleeding from the gums, nose, vagina, skin or eyes.

    “Lassa fever initially presents like other forms of fever in our community.

    “It is important to report all cases of febrile illnesses that are not responding to common treatment measures to the nearest facility for proper diagnosis.

    “Edo government is already putting measures in place to stop the further spread of the disease.

    “The measures include health education and sensitisation of clinicians and other health workers, intensification of surveillance for Lassa fever and other diseases.

    “Other measures are linkage of healthcare centres to the Institute of Lassa Fever Research in the state and early referral of suspected cases to the Lassa fever institute.,’’ said the commissioner.

    She urged residents of the state to desist from bush burning so that rats are not driven into homes.
    The commissioner also appealed to residents to embrace good sanitary conditions and proper storage of foods in covered containers to break the chain of transmission of the disease.

    She also called for proper and regular hand washing, eliminating rats from homes, wearing of personal protective covering when in contact with persons suspected to have the disease.

    Besides, the commissioner called for proper disposal of medical waste to check the spread of the disease.

     

  • Doctors on alert as Lassa fever kills one in Plateau

    Plateau State government has confirmed that Lassa fever has killed one.

    The state has placed medical experts on the alert to prevent its spread.

    Lassa fever has been noticed in five local governments; Jos North, Mangu, Langtang South, Pankshin and Shendam.

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Kuden Kamshak, who briefed reporters in Jos yesterday, said: “The state, with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), is working to contain the spread of the virus.

    “The government has appointed Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNOs) in each of the 17 councils to monitor and manage the health challenge.

    “As you are aware, the Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed that the country has been experiencing Lassa fever in the last few weeks in some states, including Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo and Oyo.

    “Lassa fever is a Zoonotic disease, which means human beings become infected through contacting infected animals. The host of the virus is rat and it sheds it through its urine and faeces.

    “Human beings can become infected by getting exposed to the urine and faeces of the carrier animal.

    “Person to person transmission occurs in crowded communities. The disease spreads fast in crowded environments, especially under poor sanitary conditions.

    “Health officers can be at risk if they don’t use barrier nursing and infection control practices.”

    He added: “Lassa fever is difficult to distinguish from other viral haemorrhagic fevers, such as the Ebola virus and other diseases that cause fever.

    “The symptom is usually gradual, starting from fever to general body weakness and malaise. After a few days headache, sore throat, chest pain, muscle pain, nausea, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cough follow.

    “When it becomes severe, facial swelling, bleeding through mouth, nose, ear, anus and genitals occur.”

    The clinician urged people not to panic, adding that they should report to the nearest hospital.

    He advised people to clear their homes and surroundings of rats, maintain good sanitary habits and keep cats at home to keep off rats.

  • ‘No Lassa fever in Bauchi’

    he Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of Health, Dr. Sa’idu Aliyu Gital, said yesterday that there was no outbreak of Lassa fever.

    He, however, said: “We recorded four suspected cases of the fever, with none confirmed positive as at today. Three were reported negative, while the report of the fourth from Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State is being awaited.”

    Gital said the first case of the fever was recorded in 2012, which claimed five lives, 10 in 2013 and six in 2014, in Tafawa Balewa, Dass, Toro, Alkaleri and Bauchi councils.

    He said: “From December 16, 2015 to date, there has been no confirmed case of the fever because the government has set up a rapid response team for Lassa fever, established a case treatment centre and stepped up awareness campaigns on the epidemic to mitigate the outbreak of the fever.”

  • No Lassa fever outbreak in Oyo

    •Osun begins sensitisation

    The Oyo State government yesterday denied an outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.

    Speaking through its Ministry of Health, it said no case of Lassa fever has been established in the state since last year when the first suspected case was subjected to clinical test at the Federal Ministry of Health’s reference laboratory in Lagos.

    In a statement yesterday by the ministry’s Acting Director of Public Health, Dr. Taiwo Ladipo, the government insisted that the three suspected cases reported and diagnosed at the University College Hospital (UCH) had no feature of the disease.

    Oladipo, however, cautioned residents against consumption of rodents and to avoid contact with the blood, urine and faeces of rats when killing them.

    Ladipo said: “Two suspected cases of Lassa fever were reported by the UCH, Ibadan last year.

    “Both cases, though diagnosed at the institution, were not verified by the Federal Ministry of Health reference laboratory in Lagos. Both cases had remarkable improvement and subsequently discharged.

    “The last case was reported by UCH on December 18, last year and the ministry embarked on contact tracing of all potential contacts of the index case.

    “Seventy-two (72) individuals from the referring hospital were observed for three weeks for any traces of the disease.

    “At the end of this period, there were no features of the illness in all contacts. The index case has since been discharged from the UCH.”

    He added that sensitisation of clinicians from the public and private sectors had been carried out to increase physicians’ index of suspected cases and the need for prompt referrals.

    The director advised residents with non-specific symptoms such as fever, facial swelling, muscle fatigue, conjunctivitis and mucosal bleeding, as well as symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach ache, constipation, dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), among others to report immediately at the nearest health institution.

    The Osun State government will this week begin to sensitise residents about the  disease.

    At a briefing at the weekend, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Temitope Oladele, added that the government would do massive education for people and series of awareness campaigns and programmes through the radio jingles on how to prevent the disease, symptoms and where to get immediate medical help.

    According to him, medical officers in the state and local government health facilities would be given a refresher’s training on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of the disease to prepare them ahead of an occurrence.

    However, Oladele said no single case of the disease has been recorded in the state.

  • Lassa fever: Ogun launches preventive measures

    Lassa fever: Ogun launches preventive measures

    The Ogun State government has announced plans to put in place measures that will prevent the dreaded laser fever from entering the state. The government said it would be taking delivery of vaccines that can cure the diseases very soon. It also said it will increase awareness on how to prevent the disease from spreading across the state.

    The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, made this known in an interview with Journalists at a sensitization meeting for the 2016 Measles Follow-Up Campaign in the State with all the 20 Local Government Chairmen at Ibara Housing Estate in Abeokuta, the state capital. The Commissioner said the State would do all it can to stop the disease from entering the state.

    “ I have spoken with the Minister for Health on how to get the vaccines and he has assured us of the delivery of a type of vaccine that has the potential to cure the diseases permanently. Also, I want to urge the good people of the State not to  panic as the present administration led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun is on top of the situation,” Ipaye said.

    Ipaye charged the council bosses to spread the campaign against the deadly disease across the state.  He announced that he has directed the Directorate of Public Health, in the Ministry of Health, to embark on a vigorous campaign against the diseases in both the print and electronic media so as to sensitise the good people of the state on how to combat the disease.

  • Lassa fever outbreak embarrassing – Minister

    Lassa fever outbreak embarrassing – Minister

    The Federal Government has described as embarrassing the current outbreak of Lassa fever in the country.

    Number of persons infected by the outbreak had increased to 86, while 40 deaths had been recorded in the affected states.

    States with recorded cases Lassa fever are – Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo, Plateau, Gombe and Oyo.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, spoke on the outbreak of the disease at a press briefing in Abuja Friday.

    To curb the spread of the virus, the minister said families of victims will not be allowed to perform burial rites, adding that the state will take over the activities.

    Adewole said: “Lassa fever is not new to us in Nigeria, what is new is that it has continued to embarrass us. The first confirmed case was in 1969, in Lassa village in Borno State. The number of cases peaked in 2012 when 1,723 cases with 112 fatalities were recorded.

    “It is also important to highlight that it is not the outbreak that it is unusual, what is unusual is the large number of deaths recorded so far and these deaths came largely from three states – Kano, Bauchi and Niger.

    “The three states contributed to about 75 percent of the cases and deaths. The situation in Niger is worrisome because we had unusual death dating back to August and only came to light about three to four months after and that represents a breakdown in disease notification system. We are trying to strengthen this because deaths even when they are unusual should be reported and we should not have waited for 35 cases in Niger before sitting up and that is the worrisome part of it.”

     

  • Lassa fever: Over 60 under surveillance in Rivers

    Lassa fever: Over 60 under surveillance in Rivers

    Over 60 people have been placed under surveillance in Rivers State, following the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.

    A nursing mother and her two-week-old baby were said to have died on December 30, last year, and January 1, from the contagious disease.

    Health Commissioner Dr. Theophilous Adangbe told reporters yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that 12 medical officers, who attended to the victims at a public health centre had been placed under observation.

    He added: “We have placed the health personnel, who attended to the woman and her baby, who died last week, under surveillance. We have also placed some secondary contacts – those who had contacts with the deceased during the naming ceremony of the baby, who died two days after the death of the mother – under surveillance.

    “Over 12 of the workers at the primary health care centre, who managed and attended to the mother and the baby, have been placed under surveillance. The husband of the deceased woman has been asked to draw up a list of those who attended the naming ceremony of the baby and had contact with the mother and child.

    “The list from the husband of the deceased woman is also being generated and that will be over 50. We already have some of them under observation. We are searching for all those who have had secondary contacts with the health personnel, including family members and friends who had primary and secondary contacts with the victims.”

    Agamgbe said the primary health centre, where the victims were admitted, had been decontaminated, adding: “The victims have already been buried, in keeping with the principles of managing the bodies of those who died from Lassa fever and other haemorrhage diseases.

    “For now, we do not have any symptomatic case. What we are doing is to check the temperatures of those currently under observation. Any of them who develops the symptoms of Lassa fever will be immediately quarantined.”

    Also, the Lagos State Ministry of Health has urged the residents to contact its Directorate of Disease Control on 08037170614, 08023169485 should there be any suspected case of Lassa fever in their neighbourhoods.

    In a statement in Ikeja, the state capital, the ministry appealed to the residents to avoid contact between rats and human beings, observe good personal hygiene, including hand-washing with soap and running water regularly.

    The ministry also advised the people to dispose of waste properly and clean the environment so that rats are not attracted, store foods in rat-proof containers and cook all foods thoroughly before eating.

    It urged Lagosians to discourage rodents from entering their homes by blocking possible entry points.

    To food manufacturers and handlers, the health ministry urged them to avoid spreading edibles where rats could have access to same; the public was advised to report any case of the above symptoms or persistent high fever, which resists the treatment for malaria and typhoid fever, to the nearest health centre.

    It added that all fluids from an infected person are extremely dangerous.

    Health workers are also advised to be on alert, wear personal protective equipment, observe universal basic precautions, nurse suspected cases in isolation and report same to the local government area or the Ministry of Health immediately.

    According to the statement, early symptoms of the disease, which occur within three weeks of contacting the virus, include fever, headache, chills, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache, and joint pains.

    Late symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose; bleeding from the mouth and rectum, eye swelling, swelling of the genitals and rashes all over the body – which often contain blood.

    It could progress to coma, shock and death, the ministry warned.

  • Lassa fever: Over 60 under surveillance in Rivers

    Lassa fever: Over 60 under surveillance in Rivers

    Over 60 people have been placed under surveillance following the outbreak of lassa fever in Rivers State.

    A nursing mother and her two weeks baby died between Wednesday, December 30, 2015, and January 1, 2016, from the contagious disease.

    Commissioner for Health, Dr. Theophilous Adangbe, told journalists, in Port Harcourt, Thursday, that 12 medical personnel that attended to the victims, at a public health centre, have been placed under observation.

    He stated: “We have placed the health personnel who attended to the woman and her baby that died last week under surveillance. We have also placed some secondary contacts that had contacts with the deceased during the naming ceremony of the baby who died two days after the death of the mother under surveillance.

    “Over 12 of the staff at the primary health care centre who managed and attended to the mother and the baby have been placed under surveillance. The husband of the deceased woman has been asked to draw up a list of those who attended the naming ceremony of the baby and had contact with the mother and child.

    “The list from the husband of the deceased woman is also being generated and that will be over 50. We already have some of them under observation. We are searching for all those who have had secondary contacts with the health personnel, including family members and friends who had primary and secondary contacts with the victims”.

    According to Agangbe the primary health centre where the victims were admitted have been decontaminated, he added, “the victims have already been buried in keeping with the principles of managing the corpse of those who die from lasser fever and other hemorrhage diseases.

    “For now, we do not have any symptomatic case. What we are doing now is to check the temperature of all those who are currently under observation. Any of them who develop the symptoms of lasser fever will be immediately quarantined.

    The Commissioner counseled members of the public not to panic over the outbreak of the contagious disease, emphasising: “We have taken all necessary precautions to prevent the escalation of the disease.

    “I was promptly informed about the condition of the victims by a micro-biologist at the primary health care facility were the victims were being treated.

    “Members of the public should increase their level of hygiene and make sure they keep rodents out of their homes as well as their food. It is our collective responsibility to report any symptoms of lasser fever to the nearest health facility so that health personnel can promptly take over such situations and apply necessary treatment,” he stated.

     

  • Lassa fever kills two in Rivers

    Lassa fever kills two in Rivers

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    Two people have been confirmed dead in Rivers state following the outbreak of the Lassa fever virus in the state Tuesday.

    The state commissioner for Health Dr. Odagme Theophilus confirmed this in a statement issued in the state Tuesday.

    He said the government is making efforts to trace where the disease broke out from with the view to stall further spread.

    Theophilus urged residents of the state to step up their hygiene and environmental sanitation, just as they should be weary of all forms of contact with rats and other rodents and their droppings to avoid being infested.

    Lassa fever is a fast killing communicable disease found in a species of rat with eight breasts instead of the normal two breasts.

    Some of the symptoms of the virus include swollen face, nose bleeding, high fever, nausea, swollen mouth among others.

    The virus was first reported in Taraba state, where one person was reportedly dead and two quarantined.

  • ‘LASSA FEVER similar to Ebola’

    ‘LASSA FEVER similar to Ebola’

    Joe Agbro Jr. Highlights the comparisons between two deadly diseases

    While the recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has sent shivers down the spine of the world, not many Nigerians are fully aware of another equally deadly disease, Lassa Fever, which proves to be a regular health scare in these parts is on the prowl again.

    Discovered in 1969 in a place called Lassa, the haemorrhagic fever is transmitted by rats and can also spread from person-to-person. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), outbreaks have taken place in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Central African Republic but infections have been known in Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Senegal.

    “Lassa fever is just similar to Ebola but less contagious than Ebola,” said Professor Akin Osibogun, a public health physician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos. “The person would be bleeding. The common symptoms would be weakness, muscle pains and then, there would be bleeding in some parts of the body. And of course, the fever is there. That’s why it’s a viral haemorrhagic fever. Lassa is usually associated with rats. And they can pass urine into food items and people can get it that way too apart from getting it from body fluids.”

    The primary animal host of the Lassa virus is the Natal Multimammate Mouse (Mastomysnatalensis).The virus is probably transmitted by contact with the faeces or urine of animals accessing grain stores in residences. The incubation period is between six to 21 days and during that period an acute illness with multi-organ involvement develops. Non-specific symptoms include fever, facial swelling, and muscle fatigue, as well as conjunctivitis and mucosal bleeding. Patients can suffer bleeding, vomiting, and fever.

    It is estimated that the virus is responsible for about 5,000 deaths annually.

    Clinically, Lassa fever infections are difficult to distinguish from other viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola and Marburg. Currently, there is an outbreak of Lassa Fever in three West African countries. In Nigeria, states most affected are Edo, Nasarawa, Plateau, Ebonyi, Oyo, Taraba, Ondo, Lagos, and Benue States, but the disease’s spread is expanding to other states in the country.

    Recently, an outbreak of the disease broke out in Oyo State.

    Recently at an occasion to mark this year’s World Lassa Fever day, former minister of health Professor OnyebuchiChukwu said that 29 million Nigerians risked contracting Lassa fever.

    “It is estimated that at least 29 million Nigerians, representing about 17 per cent of the nation’s present population, are at risk of contracting the disease,” said the minister of state Dr Alhassan …. who represented Chukwu. “We should note that Lassa fever is of both regional and international importance. Over the years, outbreaks of Lassa of varying magnitude and severity have occurred in Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. During these outbreaks, the case fatality can be as high as 50-80 per cent in untreated cases.”

    According to the minister outbreaks of Lassa fever has become a yearly affair which confronts the ministry. He said that in 2012, 26 states were affected with a total of 1944 cases, 207 deaths and fatality rate of 10.65 per cent.

    Poor sanitation which breeds rodents, poor personal hygiene; overcrowded condition in slums and squatter settlements; and bush burning are some ways the diseases spread. Others are drying of foodstuff in the open and on the roadside.

    According to a BBC report, during the peak season Lassa Fever infects from 300, 000 to 500, 000 West Africans annually. Of that figure, about 20, 000 die.

    However, unlike Ebola where there is no treatment, there is a drug that is available for treating Lassa fever. But vigilance is also key.

    “Anybody who is coming with a fever that is unresponsive to anti-malaria should definitely get to  health centre and investigate further,” said Professor Osibogun. “And when such a fever is now accompanied by signs of bleeding, then already, you have two symptoms. You have the fever, you have the bleeding. You’re suspecting one of the haemorrhagic fevers. Of course, apart from Lassa and Ebola, there is also Marburg.”

    For someone cured, the virus is excreted in urine for three to nine weeks and in semen for three months.

    Medical experts worry that though the disease kills more people than Ebola, many people are not aware of it. As the dry season approaches, there is need to check that rodents don’t carry the disease into the household.