Delta confirms four cases of lassa fever

Delta State Government has confirmed four cases of Lassa Fever in four local government areas in the State.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme who made the confirmation at Asaba, the State capital while fielding questions from newsmen, listed the local government areas to include Okpe, Oshimili North, Oshimili South and Ndokwa East.

He said: “In week 12, we have four confirmed cases so far recorded with a fatality rate of 50% though the general fatality rate for Lassa fever is 1 – 15% so we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that we curtail the transmission from patient to health workers and from patients to relatives”

Calling on residents to keep their environment clean at all times, he stressed the need for them not expose food to rats and also ensure that rats do not breed in or around homes.

Onojaeme said the State Government was doing a lot on advocacy especially to health workers and sensitization of residents to have a high index of suspicion when they see those cases.

He added that Emergency Operation Centers, EOCs, have been set up across the State to monitor the situation and ensure residents are aware of what is going on.

He said that the Delta State Government is working closely with Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo Sate and has been able to achieve less than 24 hours of getting test results on Lassa fever as against what was commonly obtainable which was with the range of 72 hours.

Also speaking, the State Epidemiologist, Dr. Mildred Igumbor said that by definition one case of Lassa fever is an outbreak, stressing the need for all hands to be on deck to ensure the elimination of the disease.

She explained that the State government has set up a multi-sectorial EOC comprising officials of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and Natural Resources among others where several partners and several subject matter experts sit and deliberate on how to tackle the disease and its spread.