Akwa Ibom records 2 suspected cases of Lassa fever
(Nigeria) Dr Dominic Ukpong, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner
for Health, on Monday, said two suspected cases of Lassa fever were recorded in
the state.
He made the disclosure at the inauguration of a taskforce on
the eradication of Lassa fever in Akwa Ibom in Uyo.
According to him, one of the suspected victims absconded,
while the second case happened to be a person under treatment for HIV.
Ukpong urged the people of Akwa Ibom to improve on their
sanitary conditions to eliminate the disease from the state.
He added that since the state had been identified among the
20 states with the pandemics, people must observe things that were required to
end the disease.
The commissioner, however, confirmed that a third person, a
53-year-old woman who sold crayfish, had died of the fever.
He said that “As I am talking to you, Akwa Ibom has two
suspected cases and one confirmed case and the victim is now late. The
confirmed case, a 53-year-old woman who used to sell crayfish had died. Her
test result came out after she had died. One of the person with suspected case
has absconded. The third case is someone that has been under treatment for HIV.
This shows how serious this problem has become in the state.
“We are worried because of the fact that during the
Christmas period, the 53-year-old woman got in contact with some of her family
members and some of them had already travelled back to other states before she
took ill on January 5 and then went to a private hospital where she was
attended to.
“The doctors suspected at the private clinic that it was a
bigger health issue and referred her to the University of Uyo Teaching
Hospital. She was isolated and she eventually died but her test result that she
had Lassa fever only came out after she died.
“So, we have a situation here that should concern all of us.
And we are also going to trace those that she had contact with in the hospitals
and the mortuary workers. It is a big problem and I want to appeal to health
workers that we must get every detail on every patient.”
The commissioner then warned health workers to always
protect themselves against infectious diseases.
Ukpong also warned indigenes and residents against eating
any rat meat, irrespective of type and to ensure proper storage of food items,
as well as dispose garbage far away from their houses in order not to attract
rats into the houses.
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