Lassa Fever Kills One, Three Others Treated In Rivers

Afimag.com –

Rivers State Government said Lassa fever has killed one person, while three others have been treated properly in the State.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, who disclosed this in Port Harcourt, added that four cases had already been presented at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.

Oreh said the State monitored 42 suspected cases over which 31 of them representing symptomatic high-risk contacts to the confirmed cases.

According to her, 72 contacts were placed on surveillance, and 30 of them have already completed the mandatory incubation period.

The Health Commissioner further explained that 18 high-risk contacts were placed on preventive therapeutics, while an additional 27 samples have returned negative.

“A combined team of stakeholders in the health sector were working to ensure the protection of lives and assured Rivers people of the commitment of the state government to contain the Lassa fever outbreak,” she said.

She, however, called on the residents to be hygienic, and protect their food items against contamination by rodents.

according to Radio Nigeria, Lassa fever had also killed 46 people in some parts of Ebonyi State within the last two months, as the disease affected nine local government areas in the state.

Similarly, four people also died in Kaduna following the suspected outbreak of Lassa fever at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) activated an Emergency Operations Center for Lassa fever to improve response coordination in light of the disease’s growing cases in January this year.

The decision was made following a risk assessment undertaken by subject matter experts from relevant government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), stakeholders, and key partners.