Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Umar Audu
Published on 2024-02-27 12:13:01
The Kaduna State Government has confirmed five deaths due to the Lassa Fever outbreak in the state. The Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma Ahmed, provided a report on the outbreak to the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna. The confirmation came after initial samples were collected for testing, which revealed six positive cases and five deaths.
The index case was a 26-year-old youth corps member who fell ill on February 9 and passed away on February 20 at the 44 Army Reference Hospital. Symptoms included fever, headache, convulsions, and bleeding. A total of 32 suspected cases were identified, with six confirmed positive cases, resulting in the five deaths. So far, there is an equal male-female ratio among the cases.
Additionally, 99 contacts have been identified and are under observation, with 19 exhibiting symptoms and providing samples for testing. The state government has implemented several measures to combat the outbreak, including the deployment of Rapid Response Teams and the activation of an Incident Management System at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Mando, Kaduna.
Other actions taken include active case search, contact tracing, risk communication, media management, and the provision of medical supplies to healthcare facilities. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has supplied rodent control equipment, and interventions for rodent control have been conducted by a team from the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the state team.
Challenges in containing the spread of the disease include late patient presentations at hospitals, poor adherence to infection prevention control measures in healthcare settings, and a lack of compliance with triage protocols. The state government is committed to intensifying surveillance and monitoring of listed contacts to prevent further transmission.
Despite being contagious and potentially fatal, Ahmed emphasized that adherence to infection prevention control measures and seeking early medical attention can reduce mortality rates associated with Lassa Fever. The disease, discovered in Nigeria in 1969, is caused by the Arena Virus Lassa and typically occurs during the late and early dry seasons, affecting individuals of all ages and genders.
In conclusion, the Kaduna State Government is actively responding to the Lassa Fever outbreak and is working to contain the spread of the disease through various interventions and public health measures. Increased surveillance, contact tracing, and community engagement are crucial in preventing further infections and reducing the impact of the outbreak on the population.
Read the original article on DailyNigerian.com
