Lagos confirms first Lassa fever case
Lagos State has confirmed its first case of Lassa fever this year, and appeals to residence to be calm, as patient is currently in isolation at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
Akin Abayomi, commissioner of health, has said efforts are ready in place to ensure the disease is not spread but contained with shortest possible time.
“The Lagos State Ministry of Health is collaborating with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control ( NCDC) and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) through Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health Directorate “to carry out ‘contact tracing’ to determine those who may have been infected in line with international standards while we beef up our other surveillance strategies,” Abayomi said.
So far, this year the death toll from the viral haemorrhagic illness has risen to 70 while confirmed number of cases ‘significantly’ increased across 26 states in Nigeria.
According to the Lassa Fever weekly situation report, a total of 109 cases were confirmed out of 482 suspected cases from February (week 06) 3 to 9. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 472 in 2020.
Abayomi advised that the prevention and control of the disease remained a shared responsibility of all citizens through the observance of the highest possible standards of personal and community hygiene as well as environmental sanitation.
The commissioner stressed the need for residents to store household refuse in sanitary refuse bags or dust bins with tight-fitting covers to avoid infestation by rats and rodents; dispose refuse properly at designated dump sites and not into the drainage system and store food items in rodentproof containers.
“Members of the public are further advised to avoid contact with rats, to always cover their food and water properly, cook all their food thoroughly, as well as block all holes in the septic tanks and holes through which rats can enter the house and clear rat hideouts within the premises.
“Isolation wards have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases, drugs and other materials have also been prepositioned at designated facilities while health workers have been placed on red alert and community sensitisation activities intensified,” he said.
The commissioner also pleaded with medical and health workers to always maintain high standards of universal safety precautions as well as comply with infection prevention and control measures when dealing with all patients.
Government, he assured, has provided sufficient protective wears like hand gloves, face masks, goggles, which must be worn at all times when treating suspected cases of infectious diseases like Lassa fever.