‘No fresh case of Lassa fever in Lagos’

The Lagos State Government, yesterday, disclosed that there is no new case of Lassa fever recorded in the state.

It also said that the index case, a 25-year-old  male undergraduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, is presently responding to treatment in the hospital.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris while briefing newsmen at the weekend, urged residents to remain calm over the outbreak of Lassa fever, saying everything possible was being done to curtail the spread of the virus in the state.

Confirming the occurrence of the first case of Lassa fever in the state, Idris explained that the patient was reported to have fallen ill after he arrived Lagos and “was taken to Ahmadiyyah Hospital, Ojokoro on January 9, 2016 with complaint of fever, sore throats and difficulty in swallowing before he was later taken to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, where he is currently been isolated for treatment.

“The patient is presently being managed at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and his condition is stable”, he added.

Besides, he said that “Ahmmadiyyah Hospital, where the first case of the disease in Lagos was reported, is now under surveillance and there will be no service delivery in the facility until further notice. The 15 in-patients as well as 25 health workers in the facility are being monitored for the next 21 days. Contacts tracing is ongoing; and currently we have 92 contacts and all are being followed up.”

However, when contacted yesterday, a source at the state Ministry of Health, who preferred anonymity, said, “As I speak, there is no fresh case of Lassa in Lagos, the only index case is responding to treatment under stable condition and contacts are all under strict surveillance while facilities; and isolation centres have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases.”

Though, Lassa fever and Ebola Virus Disease are said to belong to the same Viral Haemorrhagic Fever group, Lassa Fever is milder and can be treated and cured if detected early. Therefore, any persistent fever should be reported to the nearest public health facility.

Idris however, urged members of the public and health workers to report any case or symptoms of persistent high fever not responding to standard treatment for malaria and typhoid fever to the nearest health facility or call the following lines:, 08037170614, 08022234273, 08022241768 08033065303, 08033086660, 08055281442 and 08023169485.

Assuring the Lagosians, Idris said “Government is fully prepared to manage the situation and as such people should not panic for whatever reasons.

The Lagos State Government as part of its mandate remains committed to ensuring that the well being of the people is assured. We will not compromise on our commitment to a healthy and happy state.”