Dr. Jide Idris - Lagos State commissioner for health
Lagos State government has confirmed three of the
14 suspected cases of Lassa fever and one death even as it is currently
monitoring 438 people that had contacts with the confirmed cases.
A statement jointly signed by the Commissioner for
Health, Dr. Jide Idris and Special Adviser on Primary Health Care (PHC), Dr.
Olufemi Onanuga, said the state government has reactivated isolation wards in
Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and 26 General Hospitals in
the state for isolation of any suspected case.
The statement noted: “Three of the suspected cases
were confirmed positive of Lassa fever. One case was confirmed on the January
15, 2016 and two cases were confirmed on January 18, 2016. Eight suspected
cases tested negative, while we are awaiting results for the remaining three
suspected cases.
“The ministry has listed 447 contacts of the
confirmed cases and 438 (98 per cent) of the contacts are currently being
monitored.”
A breakdown, according to the statement, showed
that Orile General Hospital has one negative case; Ahmaddiya Hospital has one
positive and one negative case each; Alimosho General Hospital has two pending
cases; Mushin has one negative and one pending; Amuwo has one positive and four
negative; Eti- Osa has one positive and Mainland has one negative.
The statement said the three confirmed cases are
not related in terms of source of infections.
Meanwhile, in view of the confirmation of cases of
Lassa fever, the state government has called on residents of the state to be
calm, assuring them that both the federal and state governments are doing
everything possible to control the spread of the virus.
“In line with international standards, the contacts
of the patient are being tracked for follow-up. Meanwhile, drugs and other
materials have also been prepositioned at our designated facilities; and
isolation centres have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases”,
the statement further said.
However, the Lagos State Ministry of Health (LSMoH)
has said that those at highest risk include health workers, families and
friends of an infected person in the course of feeding, holding and caring for
them.
It urged residents to watch out for the signs and
symptoms of Lassa fever, which typically occur within one to three weeks after
the patient comes into contact with the virus.
Early symptoms of the disease include fever,
headache, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache, and joint
pains. Late symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, bleeding
from the mouth and rectum, eye swelling, swelling of the genitals and rashes
all over the body that often contain blood. It could progress to coma, shock
and death.
It, therefore, urged members of the public and
health workers to report any case or symptoms of persistent high fever not
responding to standard treatment for malaria and typhoid fever to the nearest
health facility or call the following lines:
08037170614, 08022234273, 08022241768 08033065303,
08033086660, 08055281442 and 08023169485.
