Two doctors, 17 others die from Lassa fever

By Muizat Hameed

The Ondo State Government has recently updated the casualty arising from Lassa fever cases, saying that a total of 16 people have died while more than 84 cases were recorded in the state last year.

Dr Steven Fagbemi, the Ondo State Epidemiologist made this known during a briefing with the state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

In his words, “Sixteen of the patients have passed in as their cases had reached advanced stages before they were brought to the hospital. Forty seven patients currently on admission are responding to treatment while 21 people have already been treated and discharged.”

Governor Akeredolu encouraged the residents of the state to be calm as the government has adopted some measures to tackle its spread to other areas, among which is the massive community awareness creation meant to sensitize the populace about the diseases.

Akeredolu said, “The government has continued to provide free treatment to all patients that present with this disease in our treatment centers. We will like the public that the disease is totally treatable, indeed so far several patients have been have been treated and have fully recovered.”

Also, on Tuesday, the director of public health and disease control in the Kano state ministry, Doctor Imam Bello, said that Lassa fever has killed two medical doctors and a pregnant woman at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH).

Bello said, “So far, we received a report of three deaths from AKTH, which we are suspecting to be the case of Lassa fever. So far, two samples were sent to reference laboratory. We are awaiting the results.”

The three deaths were two medical doctors, one of whom was Umm Kulthum, a house officer who assisted in the caesarian section of a pregnant carrier, who eventually died.

The third person, Habeeb Musa ,was a consultant anesthetist at the same hospital.

Other health officials suspected to be manifesting the symptoms of the disease will be quarantined at the state isolation center at Yargawa in the Dawakinkudu local government.