National Hopsital sets up Lassa fever isolation wards

Isolation wards have been set up by the National Hospital Abuja (NHA) for the management of suspected cases of Lassa fever in the FCT and its environs.

Dr Olutayo Haastrup, spokesperson of the hospital, disclosed that the hospital had prepared four isolation wards and began standard precaution in handling any outbreak. 

“The hospital is fully prepared, measures have been taken and as soon as we have any suspected case of Lassa, we will be proactive in handling it.

“We have created isolation wards in the hospital being the apex referral centre in the FCT and all the necessary kits and facilities have been procured,’’ Haastrup said.

He also added that 200 health personnel had been trained to raise more awareness on the treatment and management of the virus.  

He said the training became necessary following the outbreak of the disease in 10 states and the FCT with 43 deaths, several confirmed cases and many suspected people being quarantined.

Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria kills 40

The Health Minister of Nigeria, Isaac Adewole, has confirmed that 40 people have died in Nigeria in a suspected outbreak of Lassa fever in 10 states across the country.

Adewole told a news conference in the capital Abuja that, "The total number (of suspected cases) reported is 86 and 40 deaths, with a mortality rate of 43.2 percent."

The minister said that so far, laboratory tests have confirmed that 22 of the 86 suspected cases were Lassa fever and results were expected on the remainder. Seven of the affected states are in the north -- Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Plateau and Gombe -- while the remaining three are in the south -- Rivers, Edo and Oyo.

Adewole said recorded cases of Lassa fever in Nigeria peaked in 2012 at 1,723 with 112 fatalities but rates have declined since then. In the latest outbreak, the minister said "most of the cases that we recorded are not through person-to-person contact but the number of deaths was unusual."

He also expressed fears about the disease notification, especially in Niger state, where "unusual" deaths in August were not reported for up to four months. The government of Lagos state, Nigeria's most populous city of more than 20 million people, on Thursday alerted residents on the need to observe proper hygiene to curb the spread of the disease. Lagos state is about 80 kilometres from Oyo state, where suspected cases have been reported.

According to the WHO, Lassa fever is an acute haemorrhagic illness which belongs to the arenavirus family of viruses, which also includes the Ebola-like Marburg virus.  People with Lassa fever do not display symptoms in 80 percent of cases but it can cause serious symptoms and death in the remainder.

The virus, which is endemic in rodents in West Africa, is transmitted to humans by contact with food or household items contaminated with the animals' faeces and urine. Person-to-person contact is also possible through bodily fluids, particularly in hospitals when adequate infection control measures are not taken.

It is estimated that the number of Lassa fever infections in west Africa every year is between 100,000 to 300,000, with about 5,000 deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 confirmed dead as Lassa fever hit Rivers state

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.