Posted By: Kemi Olaitan on:
Oyo
State Ministry of Health yesterday said no single case of Lassa fever
has been established in the state since last year when the first
suspected case was subjected to clinical test at the Federal Ministry of
Health’s reference laboratory in Lagos.
Acting Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr. Taiwo Ladipo, made the disclosure in a statement he insisted that the three suspected cases reported and diagnosed at the University College Hospital, UCH, had no feature of the disease.
He, however, cautioned citizens of the state against consumption of rodents and to avoid contact with the blood, urine and faeces of rats when killing them as a preventive measure against Lassa fever.
He said, “Two suspected cases of Lassa fever were reported by the UCH, Ibadan, in 2015. Both cases, though diagnosed at the institution, were not verified by the Federal Ministry of Health reference laboratory in Lagos. Both cases had remarkable improvement and subsequently discharged.
“The last case was reported by the UCH on December 18, 2015, and the ministry embarked on contact tracing of all potential contacts of the index case. Seventy-two individuals from the referring hospital, UCH, and the child’s community were observed for three weeks for any feature of the disease.
“At the end of this period, there were no features of the illness in all contacts. The index case has since been discharged from UCH.”
He disclosed further that as safeguard measure, an emergency preparedness team of stakeholders had met to prepare response protocol in case of any outbreak of the disease in any part of the state.
He listed those in the team as the state’s Ministries of Health, Information, Environment, Agriculture, State Hospitals’ Management Board, Red Cross and Red Crescent, UCH, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital and State Emergency Management Authority.
Ladipo added that with support from the Federal Ministry of Health, the state’s Ministry of Health had supplied ribavirin (the antiviral agent for Lassa fever treatment), as well as protective apparels to UCH to reduce contact between healthcare workers and potential cases.
In a similar vein, he said sensitisation of clinicians from the public and private sectors had been carried out to increase physicians’ index of suspected cases and the need for prompt referrals.
To prevent an outbreak of the disease in the state, Ladipo harped on the need for residents to take personal hygiene serious, with emphasis on periodic hands washing
Acting Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr. Taiwo Ladipo, made the disclosure in a statement he insisted that the three suspected cases reported and diagnosed at the University College Hospital, UCH, had no feature of the disease.
He, however, cautioned citizens of the state against consumption of rodents and to avoid contact with the blood, urine and faeces of rats when killing them as a preventive measure against Lassa fever.
He said, “Two suspected cases of Lassa fever were reported by the UCH, Ibadan, in 2015. Both cases, though diagnosed at the institution, were not verified by the Federal Ministry of Health reference laboratory in Lagos. Both cases had remarkable improvement and subsequently discharged.
“The last case was reported by the UCH on December 18, 2015, and the ministry embarked on contact tracing of all potential contacts of the index case. Seventy-two individuals from the referring hospital, UCH, and the child’s community were observed for three weeks for any feature of the disease.
“At the end of this period, there were no features of the illness in all contacts. The index case has since been discharged from UCH.”
He disclosed further that as safeguard measure, an emergency preparedness team of stakeholders had met to prepare response protocol in case of any outbreak of the disease in any part of the state.
He listed those in the team as the state’s Ministries of Health, Information, Environment, Agriculture, State Hospitals’ Management Board, Red Cross and Red Crescent, UCH, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital and State Emergency Management Authority.
Ladipo added that with support from the Federal Ministry of Health, the state’s Ministry of Health had supplied ribavirin (the antiviral agent for Lassa fever treatment), as well as protective apparels to UCH to reduce contact between healthcare workers and potential cases.
In a similar vein, he said sensitisation of clinicians from the public and private sectors had been carried out to increase physicians’ index of suspected cases and the need for prompt referrals.
To prevent an outbreak of the disease in the state, Ladipo harped on the need for residents to take personal hygiene serious, with emphasis on periodic hands washing
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