FMC Yola denies outbreak of Lassa fever, doctor’s death
The Federal Medical Center Yola,( FMC) has denied the rumoured outbreak of Lasa fever in the hospital.
Head Clinical Services Department Dr. Joel Yohanna made this known while addressing journalists, also said the hospital was working at full capacity and ready to handle any case.
While giving an insight into the situation Dr. Yohanna said a patient who came from Taraba state through Peace Hospital, Jimeta, was admitted in the hospital for four days and he later died but before his death he was already quarantined in a separate ward which was exclusively selected since the time of Ebola fever and was treated before his death, and he was later discovered to have Lasa fever.
He said no medical doctors or nurses are affected as they had protective gears during the treatment of the patient who died after four days in the hospital.
Dr. Yohanna pointed out that the rumour about an outbreak was unfounded and baseless as the hospital is safe.
He said, “The hospital is safe and there is no Lassa Fever anywhere because when the patient was referred from Peace Hospital Jimeta, to the FMC we had to quarantine him before his eventual death”
“We had also contacted the patient’s family and his mother in-law, who was also taken to the hospital and quarantined separately and all medical staff who treated her used World standard face and hands gear to avoid contact”.
Dr. Yohanna revealed that the Federal Medical Center Yola was safe for patients and clinical services at the hospital have remained one of the best in the North East and he assured the people not to panic because there is no Lassa fever in Adamawa State so far even the case of the dead patient came from Taraba State.
He said, ” We have kept the hospital under medical alertness while services are optimum in case of any outbreak and the staff are fully mobilized twenty-four hours for any eventuality that may occur and we have the best medical staff on ground to handle any case that may come to our attention”
The hospital management said any case of suspected fever they don’t put the patient in an open ward but in an exclusive place where experts will attend to the patients.
