Two clinics in the Rivers state capital, Port Harcourt, have
been placed under surveillance after a nursing mother and her two-week old baby
died in the facility due to complications of Lassa fever.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Theophilus Odigeme,
made this disclosure to newsmen in Port Harcourt and said the husband and
father of the victims and other close contacts had been contacted.
“We are in touch with as many persons that had contact with
the patient; the two clinics, we have contacted them already. We have contact
with the family, especially the husbands of the woman.”
He encouraged the public to maintain good hygiene and
report symptoms of Lassa Fever, which include high fever, stooling, vomiting and
bleeding from the nose, mouth and anus to the nearest health centre or hospital
for urgent medical attention.
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic caused by Lassa
virus. The disease got its name from the first area where it was described in
1969, in Lassa town, Borno State, Nigeria. Cases have already been reported in
Taraba and Nasarawa states, Nigeria recently.
No comments:
Post a Comment