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The
multimamate rat is a carrier of Lassa Fever in West Africa (Science Photo
Library)
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Over 60 people have been
placed under surveillance in Rivers State, following the outbreak of Lassa
fever in the state. A
nursing mother and her two-week-old baby were said to have died on December 30,
last year, and January 1, from the contagious disease.
The
Nation report continues:
Health
Commissioner Dr. Theophilous Adangbe told reporters yesterday in Port Harcourt,
the state capital, that 12 medical officers, who attended to the victims at a
public health centre had been placed under observation.
He
added: “We have placed the health personnel, who attended to the woman and her
baby, who died last week, under surveillance. We have also placed some
secondary contacts – those who had contacts with the deceased during the naming
ceremony of the baby, who died two days after the death of the mother – under
surveillance.
“Over
12 of the workers at the primary health care centre, who managed and attended
to the mother and the baby, have been placed under surveillance. The husband of
the deceased woman has been asked to draw up a list of those who attended the
naming ceremony of the baby and had contact with the mother and child.
“The
list from the husband of the deceased woman is also being generated and that
will be over 50. We already have some of them under observation. We are
searching for all those who have had secondary contacts with the health
personnel, including family members and friends who had primary and secondary
contacts with the victims.”
Agamgbe
said the primary health centre, where the victims were admitted, had been
decontaminated, adding: “The victims have already been buried, in keeping with
the principles of managing the bodies of those who died from Lassa fever and
other haemorrhage diseases.
“For
now, we do not have any symptomatic case. What we are doing is to check the
temperatures of those currently under observation. Any of them who develops the
symptoms of Lassa fever will be immediately quarantined.”
Also,
the Lagos State Ministry of Health has urged the residents to contact its
Directorate of Disease Control on 08037170614, 08023169485 should there be any
suspected case of Lassa fever in their neighbourhoods.
In
a statement in Ikeja, the state capital, the ministry appealed to the residents
to avoid contact between rats and human beings, observe good personal hygiene,
including hand-washing with soap and running water regularly.
The
ministry also advised the people to dispose of waste properly and clean the
environment so that rats are not attracted, store foods in rat-proof containers
and cook all foods thoroughly before eating.
It
urged Lagosians to discourage rodents from entering their homes by blocking
possible entry points.
To
food manufacturers and handlers, the health ministry urged them to avoid
spreading edibles where rats could have access to same; the public was advised
to report any case of the above symptoms or persistent high fever, which
resists the treatment for malaria and typhoid fever, to the nearest health
centre.
It
added that all fluids from an infected person are extremely dangerous.
Health
workers are also advised to be on alert, wear personal protective equipment,
observe universal basic precautions, nurse suspected cases in isolation and
report same to the local government area or the Ministry of Health immediately.
According
to the statement, early symptoms of the disease, which occur within three weeks
of contacting the virus, include fever, headache, chills, diarrhoea, 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
– which often contain blood.
It could progress to coma,
shock and death, the ministry warned.
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