IgbereTV reports that the Lagos State Government via the Ministry of Health on Thursday has given an update on the 63 lassa fever cases in the state.
The report disclosed that no fewer than 63 people who came in contact with the recently reported case of Lassa fever in Lagos have been identified and are being monitored by the Ministry of Health in line with international standards to break the cycle of transmission and spread of infectious diseases, the Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi.
Abayomi, who disclosed this at a press briefing organised by the Ministry to give an update on the Lassa fever outbreak in the State, noted that the successful identification of the 63 people who came in contact with the Lassa fever patient resulted from collaborative efforts between officials of the State Ministry of Health’s Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health, as well as local government disease surveillance officers through intensification of contact tracing efforts within the last 48 hours of confirming the case.
“We have one case of Lassa in Lagos, the patient is in isolation and receiving adequate care, 63 people that may have been in contact with the patient and who may have been infected in the process have been identified and are being monitored”
“If they develop any of the symptoms, we will pick them up early, test and isolate them so that we break the circle of transmission”, Abayomi said.
While giving further details on the Lassa fever patient, the Commissioner revealed that the male student from Ebonyi State came to the Nigeria Law School, Lagos and presented himself at the School’s clinic when he fell ill.
He added that the student was then referred to the Air force Clinic in Onikan from the Nigeria Law School clinic and later transferred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital when he did not respond to the standard treatment for malaria and typhoid fever.
“In our interrogation, there was no obvious contact with anybody prior to his arrival in Lagos and his test was confirmed as positive on the 17th of this month, which led to him being transferred to the isolation containment facility within LUTH where he remains today”
“He is on active treatment there and from the preliminary information available to us, the treatment is going on satisfactorily”, the Commissioner stated.
Lagosians were urged to report every suspected cases of the disease to the government.
