In Kaduna State, five people have died because of Lassa Fever. The government of Kaduna State confirmed this news.
The Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma Ahmed, confirmed the incident in a report on the outbreak of the disease made available to the newsmen.
She said “Six samples were taken to confirm the disease outbreak. Then, six more samples from people who had contact with those sick were sent to Bayero University Kano for testing.
“The first person who got sick was a 26-year-old member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
“He got sick on February 9 and went to the 44 Army Reference Hospital. Sadly, he died on February 20. His symptoms were fever, headache, convulsion, and bleeding.
“After that, 32 people who might have gotten sick were identified, and samples were taken from them. Six of them were confirmed to have Lassa Fever, and five of them died.”
There were an equal number of males and females among those confirmed to have the disease.
“Ninety-nine people who were in contact with the sick people are being followed up. Nineteen others also got sick, and samples were taken from them too.”
The government is doing some things to stop the spread of the disease.
She said they have formed Rapid Response Teams and activated the Incident Management System at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Mando, Kaduna.
They are also searching for more cases, tracing contacts, and communicating with the public through the media.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) provided equipment to control rodents, which spread the disease.
The Federal Ministry of Environment, along with the state government, is also working on controlling rodents.
According to her, “The main challenges are people coming to the hospital too late, not following infection prevention rules in health centers, and not using triage points.
“The government wants to increase surveillance and follow up with people who might have been in contact with those who got sick.
“They say that if people follow infection prevention rules and seek treatment early, fewer people will die from Lassa Fever”
