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Commissioner
for Health, Dr. Jide Idris (middle)
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The Lagos State
Government yesterday confirmed two more cases of Lassa fever in the state with
one of the victims already dead.
The
Nation report continues:
The
development brought the number of Lassa fever cases in the state to three,
including the index case at Ahmaddiya Hospital in Ojokoro part of the state.
The
Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, yesterday said the index case was
responding to treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
The
second victim, he said, is a 36-year-old lady; an indigene of Kogi State who
was first discovered at Naval Reference Hospital, Ojo on January 18 before she
was referred to Mainland Hospital the same day and has since been receiving
antiviral medication.
Idris
said yesterday that her condition was stable and ambulating.
The
third case, he said, died because he presented late.
He
is said to be a 51-year-old resident of Ilasan Leki and indigene of Edo State
where he attended a wedding ceremony on December 28, last year.
He
was initially admitted at Divine Medical Centre in Ikoyi on January 12, this
year, but died at 2 pm the same day before the result of the laboratory test
that confirmed him positive was received.
His
corpse has been kept in the morgue in a leak-proof body bag.
He
was to be buried yesterday, after due consultations with his family.
Idris
said there were eight negative cases while three others were pending for
confirmation.
He
said his ministry had listed 447 contacts of the confirmed cases and 438 (98
per cent) of the contacts were being monitored.
“The
three confirmed cases are not related in terms of source of infections,” he
stated.
The
Commissioner said his ministry had requested for more Ribavirin injection and
tablets, personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other items from the Federal
Ministry of Health (FMOH), Abuja.
The
Commissioner for Environment, Hon Samuel Adejare, said open defecation and
dirty environment should be avoided in order to rid the environment of rodents.
He
said: “Cultural change is expected at this point in time. People should learn
to live more responsibly.
“The
state, through the Ministry of Environment, will step up its game of
environmental laws through the police and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI)
Brigade.”
The
two commissioners said whenever they notice any symptoms of Lassa fever,
particularly persistent high fever that is not responding to standard treatment
for malaria and typhoid, members of the public and health workers should report
to the nearest health facility or call the following lines: 08037170614,
08022234273, 08022241768 08033065303, 08033086660, 08055281442 and 08023169485.
They enjoined suspected
cases or their relatives to report promptly to health facilities because early
medical intervention can save lives.
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