‘All states should consider themselves at risk and please, put up measures to contain, prevent and reassure the community’’

‘All states should consider themselves at risk and please, put up measures to contain, prevent and reassure the community’’ says Minister of Finance.

About 212 suspected cases of Lassa fever has been declared by federal government of Nigeria in 64 Local government areas across 17 states in the country. The FG strictly warns against covering up of Lassa cases among the states of the federation.
At the Abuja emergency National Council on Health meeting, which was spearheaded by the Minister of health; Prof Issac Adewole with other state Commissioners of Health and medical personnel in the health sector, the minister said the current out-break was a national embarrassment.

He disassociate with the present rumors that the disease was a “gimmick to get money from the government’’. According to the minister, the ‘objective of the meeting, was to facilitate discussion on control of the ongoing disease outbreak and to develop strategies to prevent and manage of all cases in Nigeria. The minister said “There is a high level of denial and a conspiracy of silence in some of our states. I think people take delight in saying we have no case and to me that is not the issue’’ he said.
“In fact, if you are able to pick a suspicious cases, to me that is the issue because that goes to tell us that the surveillance system is at work’’ says the minister.

“We also want to alert all health professionals in the country that they should report any case. I have described the outbreak as a national embarrassment. We can manage embarrassment, but when we allow another outbreak to occur in August this year, it will become a national shame to all of us. One of the things we will do to prevent us from dragging this nation into shame is to stamp out Lassa fever. Healthcare managers should not deceive their political leaders that all is well. All states should consider themselves at risk.”
The minister admitted that 17 states have been affected so far. “It has affected 64 local governments across the country and we have been able to pick 212 suspected cases. It dates back from August last year, not just this year. It is better to over-count suspected cases than to under-count’’ he said.

“The real hot spots are Niger, Bauchi, Taraba, Kano, Edo, Nasarawa, Plateau and Rivers, but for us to be honest with ourselves, all states should consider themselves at risk and please, put up measures to contain, prevent and reassure the community that we are on top of the situation,” he asserted. He debunked the rumor of the death of doctors in OAUTHC and said it was a false alarm. According to the hospital management, a resident doctor died and was said to have vomited blood but Lassa should not be pronounced yet in Ife until the autopsy report has been out.
Ekiti state government is also taking necessary steps to ensure that there is no spread of Lassa fever in the boarding schools. The boy with the case of the reported Lassa fever is also responding well to treatments.

Source

http://emobileclinic.com/2016/01/20/lassa-fever-update/