Lassa Fever Kills 63 Persons; Spreads To 17 States

The Federal Government said on Tuesday that Lassa
fever has claimed 63 lives out of 212 suspected
reported from 62 local government areas in affected
states.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, confirmed
this at the emergency National Council of Health
meeting in Abuja on the outbreak of the disease.
Adewole listed the 17 affected states as Bauchi, Niger,
Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, Plateau, Gombe,
Nasarawa, Lagos, Delta, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Zamfara and Kogi
as well as the FCT. He said there is high level of denial
and conspiracy across some states, adding that health
managers should not deceive executives by the
pretence and silence.
The minister described the denial of Ebonyi to report five
suspected cases and one death as conspiracy of denial.
He said every state should consider itself at risk and put
measures to contain and prevent the disease.
Adewole said the federal government would maintain
high level of alert all year round to celebrate Lassa fever
obituary next year. “With the resources available we will
collectively eliminate the disease in Nigeria soon. “We
have special facilities around us and we have adequate
human resource to address the challenge.
“We will strengthen the Primary Health Care Centres
across the country to enhance the surveillance
mechanism,’’ he said. The minister said 5,000 Primary
Health Care centres would be activated before the end
of 2016.
“A committee had already been set up to map out health
care centres across the country would benefit from the
programme. “At least one primary health care centre
will be functional in a ward,’’ said Adewole. In a related
development, the minister announced that six most
affected states will have Lassa fever diagnostic
centres. He said the states are Niger, Nasarawa,
Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi and Ondo states; this is in
addition to the six existing Lassa fever treatment
centres.
According to him, the centres are Lassa fever
Treatment Centre, Irrua, Edo; University of Maiduguri
Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno; Aminu Kano
Teaching Hospital, Kano. Others are Lagos University
Teaching Hospital (LUTH), University College Hospital
Ibadan, and the National Centre for Disease Control,
Asokoro, Abuja.



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