The Plateau State commissioner of Health, Dr. Kuden Deyin Kumshak, yesterday confirmed the death of one person in Mangu local government area of the state, bringing the number of deaths to 31 in two weeks, with suspected Lassa fever cases reported in five other LGAs, including Shendam, Pankshin, Lantang South, and Jos North. He urged the citizenry to remain calm, and report any suspected case to the nearest health facility for quick investigation and intervention. He assured that government had prepared fully to tackle the already reported cases in the state, and the ministry of health has already put in place various committees of experts and strategists for quick and effective response.
Earlier in the week, the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo, in Taraba State had confirmed the death of three persons, with two others receiving treatment during the outbreak, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Wiza Inusa, announced early this week. He said the current outbreak began on December 25th, and the state recorded a total of five cases with three mortalities. He urged the public not to panic and because the disease is carried by rodents, advised residents to adhere to basic hygiene by keeping plates and pots clean, including the environment, so as to discourage rats. The medical director also encouraged the public to quickly report to the hospital whenever they experience strange conditions, because if treated early, there is a greater chance of survival, and also to do so if there is an unexplained death.
Years ago, two medical doctors, Dr. Manu Abba Tukur and Dr. Aisha Hasi Bobboji died after contracting the disease while treating Lassa fever at the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo.
When two persons were confirmed killed by Lassa fever in Dakasoye village of Garunmalam Local Government Area (LGA), Kano State, the state’s commissioner of health, Dr. Kabir Ibrahim Getso called on the people not to panic, assuring that there are necessary measures in place to contain a spread and pointed out that apart from the two victims, nobody else was found infected.
Dr. Getso also confirmed that 100 out of the over 120 persons tested were found negative of Lassa fever and as at the time this report was filed the remaining were yet to complete their tests. “We’re hoping they will also be found Lassa fever-free,” he said, explaining that the incubation period for the disease is 21 days and samples taken to Lagos State were negative.
The commissioner said although he cannot completely rule out having another case in the state, necessary preventive measures have been put in place by the state government. He pointed out that the Yar-Gaya General Hospital which was converted into a Lassa Fever Centre in the state has been provided with necessary facilities, including needed drugs and protective equipment and supporting staff for any eventuality.
At Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, a hospital noted for its diagnosis and treatment of the deadly fever, there are indications the country is not only at risk of the spread of the disease, but may presently not be prepared to checkmate its spread. It was gathered that many Nigerians might have died of Lassa fever and the deaths mistaken for typhoid or malaria fever.
Blessing Osiemi, a scientific officer at the institute confirmed that some samples were brought from Plateau State, Bauchi, and the University of Benin Teaching Hospital for diagnosis. Of these samples, the health workers only wanted to confirm if the patient from Plateau died of Lassa fever and he tested positive. Two people had already died as at Wednesday this week from Auchi area of Edo State, while one from Bauchi tested negative. She could however not confirm any move made to trace those the patients may have had contact with and the possibility of being quarantined. Osieme said so far statistics remain unavailable of those who had died or tested positive.
At the hospital, there was only one functional lab. Also, there was supposed to be another mobile laboratory but it had been taken to Sierra Leone since the outbreak of Ebola in that country. So there is currently no mobile lab in the country to meet the challenges posed by the epidemic.
It could be recalled that as part of the efforts to tackle cases of Lassa fever in the country, a partnership was secured with some international organizations or institutions. These include Harvard University, USA, and the Bernard Notch Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany. The Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control was endowed with a BSL/3 Laboratory for the diagnosis of the disease which began operation in 2008 following the installation of the equipment donated by the two institutions which also assisted with the training of staff. With this development, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital became the only public tertiary hospital in the country with the capacity for diagnosing Lassa fever.
The first case of the current outbreak of Lassa fever, an acute febrile illness, was recorded in Bauchi in November 2015. This was followed by cases in Kano State where two people died, and then Taraba and Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where a nursing mother and her two-week-old baby were reported to have died of the disease. So far, nine states, including Nasarawa, Niger, Edo, and Oyo states have been affected, the Hon. Minister of Health, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Isaac F. Adewole said.
Prof. Adewole explained that the onset of the disease is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise followed by headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, and bleeding from mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract, and low blood pressure.
Adewole highlighted measures taken to contain the disease, some of which include immediate release of adequate quantities of Ribavirin, the specific antiviral drug for Lassa fever, to all affected states, deployment of rapid response teams from the ministry to assist in investigating and verifying the cases and tracing of contacts, also, the sensitization and mobilization of clinical and relevant healthcare workers in areas of patient management and care.
The minister noted that “Nigeria has the capability to diagnose Lassa fever and all the cases reported so far were confirmed by our laboratories, however, because the symptoms are so varied and non-specific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially in the early course of the disease,” adding that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is coordinating response activities and reporting to him directly on daily basis. He added that the Nigerian government will continue to enhance its surveillance and social health education, information and communication activities to prevent the disease from spreading further.
Source:Daily Trust