Lassa fever: Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun, Kogi confirm new cases

…Doctor diagnosed with Lassa fever not dead – Mu’azu

…We’re ready for any eventuality ― NAUTH

New cases of Lassa fever have been confirmed in Jahun Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Kaduna, Ogun, and Kogi states.

Acting Permanent Secretary, in the Jigawa State Ministry of Health, Salisu Mu’azu, who confirmed this to journalists on Sunday morning, said that the victim, Anthony Etim, is a staff of Medicins Sans Frontieres also known as Doctors without Border reportedly developed the fever symptoms following an official engagement at the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Borno State.

While debunking the news making the round that Etim was dead, Mu’azu added that he is being treated at the isolated Infectious disease control unit in Jahun hospital at Jahun Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

In Ogun State, the government had earlier confirmed a case of Lassa fever with a firm assurance that all is being done to contain it.

According to a statement by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, the suspected Lassa fever case was confirmed by the Ogun State Virology Laboratory on January 24 2020.

Dr. Coker said that the patient is a pregnant 29 year- old who took ill and was referred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta.

However, contrary to some reports circulating in the media, the Commissioner noted that “the patient is not dead as she was transferred to the Federal Specialist Hospital in Irua, Edo State, whose facilities provide the patient with the full benefit of multidisciplinary care required for her due to her pregnancy.”

She further stated that the Rapid Response Team has commenced line listing of all who have come into contact with the patient for surveillance purposes, including her relatives and hospital staff that managed the case.

Similarly, the Kaduna State Government has confirmed a case of Lassa fever in a young male from Chikun Local Government Area.

Its health ministry said the victim is now being treated at the Infectious Diseases Control Centre.

The government urged the public to maintain the highest standard of individual hygiene and to report any suspected cases promptly.

In a statement made available on the State Government’s Twitter page and signed by Amina Baloni, the Commissioner of Health, it said all KDSG health facilities are on alert to look out for cases.

“The Ministry of Health has supplied our infectious diseases control centre with the necessary commodities and our health personnel are ready to manage any cases that may arise,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital NAUTH, Nnewi, Anambra State has reiterated its readiness to tackle any outbreak of the ravaging Lassa fever epidemic that is affecting the country.

Chairman, Medical and Advisory Committee, (CMAC), Dr. Joseph Ugboaja, who disclosed this to journalists said that the Chief Medical Director of NAUTH, Professor Anthony Igwegbe, has called a meeting of the relevant stakeholders to ensure that everything is ready for any eventuality, just as he ensured that there are enough drugs for any eventuality.

He said: ‘’NAUTH is ready to contain any outbreak of the epidemic that has reportedly killed 29 in 11 states across Nigeria. NAUTH readiness had been in the areas of sensitisation of the hospital and host communities on prevention.

“What we do is that once we suspect, the patient is moved straight to the isolation ward where the trained healthcare personnel would work on the person.

“We are also mobilising healthcare workers on how to protect themselves and how to be able to identify a likely case, so as to mount the necessary response.

“The hospital has a standby Lassa Fever Committee working round the year to tackle the epidemic, and the health institution has drawn up algorithms pasted at strategic places and fumigated the hospital environment, just as it has ensured steady running of clean water for adequate sanitation.

“Specifically in terms of response, we have two prongs: first is building and equipping an isolation centre, we are the first health institution in the South East to have a fully accredited isolation centre for such emergency cases, the centre is built and equipped with the necessary infrastructure.”

Also, the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja in Kogi State has confirmed three cases of Lassa fever with one recorded death at the facility in the last one week.

Head of Clinical Services of the medical centre, Dr. Bernard Ododo, disclosed this on Sunday in Lokoja, the state capital.

Ododo said that five suspected cases of Lassa fever were reported in the hospital in the last one week, out of which three tested positive to the vurus while one patient died.

”Five suspected cases reported at the hospital in the last one week, three already tested positive, of which one died. Two cases already transferred to Lassa fever Management Centre at the Irua Specialist Hospital in Edo State.

”Two others (of which one has died) have their results awaited from NCDC Laboratory in Abuja,” Ododo said.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 195 cases of Lassa fever and 29 deaths in 11 states as of January 24.

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According to the NCDC, about 89 percent of the cases were from Ondo, Edo and Ebonyi states.

The centre said that it activated a national emergency operations centre (EOC) to coordinate response activities on the disease.

According to a statement made available to journalists over the weekend, the centre said the national EOC which was jointly set up on January 24, includes representatives of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development, federal ministry of environment, World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), US Centre for Disease Control, and other partners.