Total stages Lassa fever awareness in Rivers state

Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited flagged-off its campaign in Nkoro community in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The Deputy General Manager, Community Affairs Total E&P, Izu Iduoku, while declaring the event open in Nkoro town, said Lassa fever has assumed endemic proportion in the state and beyond, hence the importance of the awareness programme.

Rivers State has recorded three deaths: a mother and child, and a doctor with the state’s Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital. About 70 persons have also been placed on surveillance.

The DMG, who was represented by the Community Affairs Service Manager, Mr. Obara, said: “This Lassa fever sensitisation was planned for our host communities, as response to the findings and recommendations of the proactive baseline survey we commissioned in 2015, to establish disease trends and conditions with our host communities.”

In his response, the representative of Opobo/Nkoro Council of Chiefs, Chief Rogers Ibibo, thanked the Total E&P team for choosing the community for the campaign, urging participants to take advantage of the programme and be proactive.

Source The Guardian 

man, 51 die of Lassa fever in Lagos

A 51-year-old man has died of Lassa fever at the Mainland Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, confirmed that the patient who was initially admitted at Divine Medical Centre, Ikoyi, may have contacted the disease after attending a wedding ceremony in Edo State in December.

According to the commissioner, the patient died on January 18 before the result of the laboratory test that confirmed him positive of Lassa fever was received at the Infectious Diseases hospital in Yaba.

Idris noted that another 36 -year -old lady,  a native of Kogi State,  who had tested positive to the disease  was currently on admission at the Mainland hospital while the health ministry had begun tracing 438 contacts related to the three index cases  that were recorded in the state.

He stated, “Lagos State has three confirmed cases out of the 14 suspected cases of Lassa fever. Two of them are responding well to treatment while one of them died.

Eight samples 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 of the contacts are currently being monitored.

We have made available drugs and other materials at our designated facilities; and isolation centres have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases.”

The commissioner  called on residents and health workers to  adhere to infection control measures in their environment and hospitals  to prevent an outbreak in the state.

Culled from Punch.