The Ogun State Government has confirmed a case of Lassa fever in the state, with a firm assurance that all is being done to contain it.
According to a press release by the Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, made available on the official Twitter page of the Ogun State Government, the Lassa fever case was confirmed by the Ogun State Virology Laboratory on Friday.
The commissioner said the patient is a pregnant 29-year- old who took ill and was referred to the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Abeokuta.
She, however, said: “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.
Ms Coker assured members of the public that the state government acted proactively by putting all counter measures in place to contain the situation.
Urging residents to maintain proper hygiene, she stated that members of the public should avoid contact with rodents, pointing out that they should cover their food properly and ensure that their food is warmed before eating it.
“We have given thermometers to those who have been in contact with the patient to monitor their temperatures and also provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the designated treatment center at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.
“Our health educators and officers have been deployed into action and are educating the public on ways to avoid being infected with Lassa Fever.
“Other emerging or suspected cases of viral hemorrhagic fevers are to be isolated in the designated quarantine areas for barriers nursing, until definitive diagnosis is concluded.
“The State Epidemiologist and DNSO should immediately be notified on telephone numbers 09099140121 and 09099140122 in case of any suspected case,” Ms Coker said.
Lassa Fever
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. The disease is endemic in Nigeria and cases are recorded all year round.
The natural carrier of the virus is the multimammate rat, but the disease is also spread through human to human transmission.
Lassa fever is largely transmitted through contact with items or surfaces contaminated with urine, faeces, saliva or blood of infected rats.
It can also be transmitted from person-to-person through contact with blood, urine, faeces and other body fluids of an infected person.
Early symptoms are fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, sore throat etc. In very severe cases, the patient bleeds from body openings.
Between January 1 and 19, a total of 398 suspected cases were reported from various states across Nigeria, leading to 24 deaths.
