The Director
of Primary Health Care in Akoko-Edo Local Government Council of Edo, Sunday
Yerumoh, on Monday confirmed two cases of Lassa fever in the locality.
Mr. Yerumoh
made the confirmation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in
Igarra, the administrative headquarters of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.
He said the
patients were quickly admitted in the Surveillance Unit of the local government
health care centre, when health personnel noticed that they displayed symptoms
of Lassa fever.
“The
patients were brought to the surveillance unit of the local government and
their blood samples were positive.
“And in conjunction
with the Institute of Lassa Fever Control at the Irrua Specialist Teaching
Hospital, we quickly moved them to Irrua and we were able to contain the spread
of the disease,’’ he said.
Mr. Yerumoh
said the patients were responding to treatment at the Irrua Specialist Teaching
Hospital.
He advised
the public to ensure that they maintain a very high standard of personal
hygiene and ensure that their environment was kept clean.
Mr. Yerumoh
said the council had stepped up its campaign on maintaining a clean environment
at all times, to stem the tide of the virus, and urged people of the community
to be vigilant and avoid contact with rats.
“We need to
step up preventive measures and this means people must maintain a high level of
hygiene at all times.
“Foodstuffs
should be kept in rodent-proof containers and people should also desist from
drying their food stuffs on the road, as they never can tell when rats will
defecate or urinate on them,’’ he said.
The primary
healthcare director said the local government would continue to sensitise the
community on the danger of lassa fever and other related diseases.
“We will
continue to carry out sensitisation at every flag-off opportunity of our health
programme, to enable our disease surveillance officers to enlighten the people
on the danger of lassa fever and other related diseases.
“We will
continue to go round the communities to sensitise the people to ensure they
keep their environment clean from any form of diseases,’’ he said.
Lassa fever,
also known as Lassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF), is a type of viral hemorrhagic
fever caused by the Lassa virus.
The virus is
commonly transmitted by rats with symptoms including fever, weakness,
headaches, vomiting, muscle pains, bleeding, and multi-organ involvement. (NAN)
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