LASSA fever: Anambra sets up 2 special centres, quarantine 50 persons
The Anambra state government has set up two special centres at the General Hospitals in Onitsha and Umuleri to manage cases of Lassa fever that may be reported in the state.
It would be recalled that when a 25-year- old student in the state was diagnosed with Lassa fever, the state government took the patient to the regional Virology Centre in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state for proper treatment.
In a statement signed yesterday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don Adinuba said that the health authorities quickly got in touch with 50 persons that the victim had come in contact with in the preceding three weeks in both her hometown and her university.
“All the contacts are being examined and watched closely by experts. This is in conformity with globally established protocol in treating Lassa fever.
“The Anambra state government has a responsibility to ensure that there is no other case of Lassa fever in the state and when it occurs, this highly contagious disease is contained at once.
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“In view of the above, the state government has set up two special centres at the Onitsha General Hospital and at the General Hospital at Umueri in Anambra East Local Government Area to manage any case of Lassa fever that may be reported in the state,” the statement stated.
Adinuba however, advised citizens of the state to take precautionary measures by always washing their hands thoroughly with soap, use sanitizer to clean their hands from time to time and always cover their food very well so that rats, which transmit the disease to human beings through urine and faeces do not touch the food among other things.
