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Gombe State records index case of Lassa fever

Gombe State records index case of Lassa fever

By Admin

January 26, 2023

Gombe State has recorded its index case of Lassa fever.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, said in Gombe on Wednesday that the lady travelled to Wukari in Taraba during the 2022 Christmas season.

“On her return to Gombe, she started running temperature and was admitted at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe where she tested positive to Lassa fever.

“Prior to the case, the state’s rapid response team was activated and drugs were provided in anticipation of any outbreak, the commissioner told newsmen at the close of the state cabinet’s weekly meeting.

He added that immediately the laboratory confirmation that she is positive was received, government moved the patient to an isolated room and treatment began.

Bauchi
An ecologist extracts a sample of blood from a Mastomys Natalensis rodent in the village of Jormu in southeastern Sierra Leone February 8, 2011. Lassa fever, named after the Nigerian town where it was first identified in 1969, is among a U.S. list of “category A” diseases — deemed to have the potential for major public health impact — alongside anthrax and botulism. The disease is carried by the Mastomys Natalensis rodent, found across sub-Saharan Africa and often eaten as a source of protein. It infects an estimated 300,000-500,000 people each year, and kills about 5,000. Picture taken February 8, 2011. To match Reuters-Feature BIOTERROR-AFRICA/ REUTERS/Simon Akam (SIERRA LEONE – Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY ANIMALS) – GM1E72F07HC01

“We also established an isolation centre in each of the three senatorial districts of the state as referral centres for confirmed cases,’’ he said.

The commissioner added that an incident management team had been going round in search of active cases and sensitising the public on signs and symptoms of Lassa fever.

“One case of Lassa fever is an outbreak,’’ Dahiru stressed.

He called for proper sanitation and hygiene in order to curtail the spread of Lassa fever in Gombe State.

“Personal and environmental hygiene are proven preventive measures against Lassa fever,’’ Dahiru stressed. (NAN)