Death toll in the recent Lassa fever outbreak has risen to 41, even as the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewale, said there are no new cases of the disease in the last 72 hours. According to him, the disease has also been confined to the ten states where the spread was reported last week but with a new record of 25 cases confirmed by the ministry.
The minister also ask citizens to maintain proper hygiene to avoid further spread of the disease.
He however assured citizens of government’s determination to curtail the spread.
Negligence Aids Spread
Medical practitioners at the Lassa Fever Research Centre at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, said the virus has been spreading in the country because authorities have not given the disease the attention it requires.
According to doctors at the institute, although Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria, it has largely been ignored.
“Since 1969, Lassa fever became known as a clinical entity and now we are in 2016 many people are still not aware, the drugs are still largely unavailable, and vaccines are not available unlike other diseases that have had serious attention,” one of the doctors said.
Asides highlighting funding as a big challenge, the officials who conducted Channels Television round the foremost and only Lassa fever research institute in the country have asked the government to set up more diagnostic centres across the country.
“Since 2007, we have been making a case repeatedly for the establishment of centres of this nature in the other geopolitical zones or health zones in the country because Nigeria is a vast country.
“You don’t want a situation where patients with viral haemorrhagic fevers – Lassa fever are managed in ordinary wards and facilities. You want dedicated facilities for them.
“As we speak, sadly, I am not aware that these centre have attained any stage for replication elsewhere in the country,” said Professor George Akpede.
No comments:
Post a Comment