Don’t lose sleep over Lassa fever, Lagos govt. tells citizens

The Lagos State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, has said everything possible in line with international standards is being done to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Lagos state government has said Lagosians need not lose their sleep over the 

outbreak of Lassa fever in the state. Photo: Filed

According to him, all 92 persons who had direct and indirect contact with the index case are currently being followed-up.

Idris said that 15 in-patients who were admitted alongside the index case as well as 25 health workers who attended to them have been placed on compulsory 21 days monitoring, and that the phone numbers and addresses of the persons in that category have also been collected for proper tracking.

Lagosians woke up, Saturday morning, to news that the deadly fever which had been gaining increased prominence in the news in recent days had arrived their soil.

Idris confirmed the report at a press conference saying the patient is a 25-year-old male undergraduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State who was reported to have fallen ill after arriving in Lagos and was taken to Ahmmadiyyah Hospital, Ojokoro on January 9 with complaint of fever, sore throats and difficulty in swallowing.

He was however confirmed as a case of Lassa fever on January 15th following about six days of treatment with little results at the private hospital.

The commissioner also said:

‘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 that often contain blood. It could progress to coma, shock and death,’ he said. 

While stating that drugs and other materials have been prepositioned at the designated facilities across the State, Idris said isolation centres have equally been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases, adding that the State Government is fully prepared to manage the situation and as such people should not panic for whatever reasons.

On steps to be taken to prevent the spread of the disease, Idris urged residents to “avoid contact with rats, ensure proper collection and disposal of waste, cover all foods including left-overs and water properly, wash their hands properly before and after cooking of foods, block all rat hideouts and store food items in rodent-proof containers.’

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