Ogun state Lassa fever patient still alive, says commissioner

OGUN State government on Sunday confirmed a case of Lassa fever in the state.

But it said the index patient, an expectant mother, is not dead.

The government assured the residents that it was taking steps to contain the disease.

In a statement in Abeokuta, the state capital, Health Commissioner Dr. Tomi Coker said the suspected Lassa fever case was confirmed by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Virology Laboratory on January 24, 2020.

Coker said the patient is a 29-year-old expectant mother who took ill and was referred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Abeokuta.

She refuted reports that the patient has died, saying the index case was only transferred to Federal Specialist Hospital at Irua in Edo State.

“The patient is not dead. She was transferred to the Federal Specialist Hospital in Irua, Edo State, whose facilities provide the patient with the full benefit of multidisciplinary care required for her due to her pregnancy,” Coker said.

She said the state’s Rapid Response Team had begun the listing those who had contacts with the patient for surveillance purposes.

Such persons, the commissioner said, include her relatives and hospital workers who managed the case.

Coker said: 

      “We have given thermometers to those who have been in contact with the patient to monitor their temperatures. We have also provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the designated treatment centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu. Our health educators and officers have been deployed in strategic places to take action. They are also educating the public on ways to avoid being infected with Lassa fever.

“Other emerging or suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fevers are to be isolated in the designated quarantine areas for barriers nursing until definitive diagnosis is concluded.

“The State Epidemiologist and DNSO should immediately be notified on telephone numbers 0818 897 8393 and 0818 897 8392, in case of any suspected case.”