By Asmau Ahmad
The Delta State Ministry of Health has confirmed one person dead and 32 others on surveillance following a reported case of Lassa fever in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge, in a statement issued to newsmen in Asaba, said that the state recorded one death from Lassa fever after a medical doctor died from the disease.
“On August 18, 2016, one case of Lassa fever was reported in Delta State. A medical doctor resident in Asaba who hailed from Anambra State was first admitted in a private Hospital in the state and was later referred to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra State. The patient’s condition deteriorated and he died after three hours on admission,” Azinge said.
The commissioner said that blood sample earlier collected from the victim was confirmed to be positive for Lassa fever after laboratory analysis at the Institute of Lassa Fever, Irrua in Edo State.
He also disclosed that following the incident, the state government took immediate action to forestall the spread of the disease by shutting down the late doctor’s hospital in Umuaji quarters in Asaba.
“So far, a total of 32 persons have been placed on surveillance, these include 11 persons from the immediate family of the deceased. Eighteen persons at the private Hospital where the patient was first admitted and 3 other persons who made contact with the deceased,’’ Azinge said.
The commissioner also disclosed that two Local Government Disease Surveillance Officers in Oshimili South and Oshimili North were actively involved as part of the state response team.
“The Surveillance Officers have been monitoring the temperature of those under surveillance and this will be done for a period of 21 days,” he added.
Dr. Azinge said that the ministry has also embarked on awareness creation through the mass media, to enlighten the public on the mode of transmission of the disease and the preventive measures, to
forestall its spread.
He assured that prevention materials had been sent the various local governments prone to high-risk disease outbreak in the state. He appealed to the public not to panic.
