By Muizat Hameed
The Federal Medical Center (FMC) and the Abia State government have managed to curtail the outbreak of Lassa fever as it was confirmed on Tuesday the death of a patient who had Lassa fever in Umuahia, the capital city of Abia State.
This was made public by the Permanent Secretary to the State Commissioner for Health, Chief Emole Egbelefu while urging the citizens of the state not to panic, and assuring them that the situation is being handled as a top priority.
He added that the 28 year old who was confirmed to have died as a result of Lassa fever was from Avonkwu, Olokoro in the Umuahia South Local Government Area.
Chief Emole stated that the patient died the same day he was brought into the hospital and allayed fears of possible spread of the disease, saying the disease was neither airborne nor waterborne, but can only be contracted through direct contact with an infected person.
He urged the residents to be wary of where and how they keep their foods as the disease was linked to the contamination of food grains by feaces or urine of rats, and not a rat bite.
Dr Onyebuchi Azubuike, the Medical Director of FMC, Umuahia, confirmed the case and disclosed that the case was thought to be appendicitis but later confirmed to be Lassa fever.
“We have decontaminated the theatre and had also placed contacts thought to be on high risk level under observation”, said Dr Ugochukwu Onyeonro, the Chairman Medical Advisory council of FMC, Umuahia.
This confirmed Lassa fever case was reported to be the fourth in the state since 1999.
