Tag: LASSA

Lassa fever has claimed 14 lives in Taraba from January to date, an official has said.

Dr Aisha Sani, the chairperson, Lassa Fever Committee in the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Jalingo.

According to her, of the 49 suspected cases of the disease reported in the hospital, 21 persons were treated and discharged.

However, she disclosed that seven suspected Lassa fever patients on admission in the hospital had fled the facility.

“Seven persons have absconded. We are making efforts to arrest and bring them back to the hospital before they infect others with the disease.

“We have our internal securities here, but the truth is that we need more to secure the Lassa fever unit,” Dr. Sani said.

The doctor said laboratory test had confirmed four cases of the disease, while four suspected cases were referred to the Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua, Edo State.

“The four patients have developed kidney failure and you know we don’t have dialysis section here.

“Let me use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government to provide a dialysis unit in this hospital so that we can save lives,” she said.

Dr. Sani said the hospital was handling two cases of the disease, adding that the worst affected areas in the state were Jalingo, Ardo-Kola and Bali local governments.

NAN recalls that the FMC officially confirmed the first death of three persons of Lassa fever disease on January 5.

A 28-year-old woman has tested positive to Lassa fever in Ogun State.

The unidentified woman, who just returned from Ebonyi State, has been taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.

The first two hospitals where the patient was hospitalised have been shut by the government.

The Commissioner for Health, Babatunde Ipaye, broke the news at a briefing yesterday at the Oke – Mosan Governor’s Office, Abeokuta, the state capital.

According to Ipaye, 60 primary contacts from the hospitals, where the woman was earlier admitted, have been placed on surveillance for the 21 days incubation period.

Ipaye said: “I want to confirm that the first Lassa fever casualty has been recorded in the state.

“The case is a 28-year-old woman, an indigene of the  state.

“She travelled to Ebonyi State on January 8 to attend a funeral.

“She returned to the state on January 15. Few days later,  she developed a fever. She reported at Rubi Hospital, Ota on January 25.

“Her case was managed there for some days till February 2 when she was transferred to Central Hospital, Ota.

“Immediately, she was admitted, the hospital called us to report that her symptoms matched the disease.

“We took her blood sample and sent to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba.

“The first result came in around 5:10pm yesterday and the second result came in around 8pm. I spoke to the medical director and he confirmed it to me and immediately, we started treatment.

“We contacted the OOUTH team and she has been moved to the isolation unit and is being aggressively managed.

“The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, sent 10 ribavirine anti viral drug to begin treatment.

“We have ordered the closure of the two hospitals, where the patient was first admitted. We will decontaminate them before reopening.”

The commissioner said the first 19 cases earlier reported had completed the incubation period with all of them declared Lassa fever-free.

“All case providers have been sensitised and trained on how to identify a victim. Lassa protocol have been printed in Yoruba, English and Egun,” he said.

One person has died of Lassa fever in Jigawa State. Twenty-six others are under surveillance. Commissioner for Health Dr Abba Zakari Umar confirmed this yesterday. He said the victim was suspected to have contacted the disease in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Dr. Umar explained that the Ministry of Health mobilised its Rapid Response Team (RRT), consisting of three Doctors, Disease Notification Officers (DNOs) and an Epidemiologist, to examine the victim and take his blood sample.

According to him, the blood sample was taken to Abuja where it was confirmed positive. The victim died the same day he reported to the hospital.

His words: “Unfortunately, about a week ago, 18-year-old Safiyanu Usaini from Gujubaki village in Dutse town, who traveled to Port Harcourt, reported to Dutse General Hospital, with signs and symptoms suggestive of Lassa fever.

“The hospital management alerted the Ministry of Health and a team of specialists was sent to check the patient. After examining him, his blood sample was taken to a Lassa fever laboratory in Abuja where it was confirmed positive. But, unfortunately, he died the same day.”

The commissioner said 26 persons were traced to have had contact with the victim and have been put under surveillance, adding that “we follow them up every three days”.

“We saw them on the 23rd and there was no problem, we saw them on 25th there was no problem, all were doing fine.”

Umar however said one of the contacts had fever when the team visited on the 26th, but the fever was not the classical symptom of Lassa fever.

The victim’s blood sample was taken to Abuja for further analysis.

Another case was confirmed in Lagos yesterday, bringing the number to four. The 27-year-old woman is awaiting burial.

According to the Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, the victim travelled to Edo State last December and returned to Lagos on January 2. She fell ill on January 14 and received care in a private hospital and three churches.

On January 23, she was referred to Ijede General Hospital with fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and body weakness; she died within a few hours of admission. She was confirmed to have died of Lassa fever on Tuesday.

Dr Idris said the body has been kept in the morgue in a leak proof body bag. She is to be buried after consultations with her family.

“To this effect, 90 persons have been listed as contacts of the last confirmed case and contact tracing is ongoing. So far, we have recorded 20 suspected cases as at January 26, since the outbreak of the disease last November.

“Fourteen suspected cases tested negative, four tested positive, while two are pending,” Idris said.

He said his ministry has line-listed 537 contacts of the confirmed cases, and 534 (99 per cent) of the contacts are being monitored.

He promised that the government would continue to provide quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to the people towards achieving universal healthcare to all. He assured the people that the battle against Lassa fever will be won, just as Ebola virus was defeated.

The commissioner urged residents to maintain basic environmental sanitation, dispose refuse properly and avoid open defecation