By Callistus Agwaza in Jalingo
At least 19 persons have died of Lassa fever at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, Taraba state, in the last two months.
The state commissioner of health Gbangsheya Buma, disclosed this on Wednesday in an interview with journalists in Jalingo.
He said eight out of nine suspected cases that were tested last week Friday came out positive.
The commissioner said the state ministry of health was closely monitoring the situation and working in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and FMC Jalingo to contain the spread of the disease.
Buma said, “It is not a surprising thing, this is the season and we have made preparations, though the outbreak may be overwhelming, I just received support from NCDC.
“They have sent some people here to provide technical support with the aim of stopping the progress of the disease.
“We are actually on top of it. We have provided support as a state to the FMC to provide free treatment to patients of lassa fever
“Eight of the Nine blood samples from suspected cases collected from FMC Jalingo as of last Friday have been confirmed for Lassa fever.”
Also commenting on the outbreak of the disease, the acting head of clinical services at the FMC Jalingo, Joseph Kuni, said, “presently we have 10 patients in our isolation ward, some of them awaiting their lab results.”
He said from January to February Centre had recorded 19 Lassa Fever related deaths from the isolation centre.
“From January to February, we sent 105 samples, and 60 of them came out positive for lassa while 39 came out negative while the remaining ones are still being awaited,” Kuni said.
He added that the the lab tests were performed in Bauchi or Abuja as the modular laboratory at the FMC Jalingo.
He said, “This year, the number of patients at the Centre is higher compared to previous seasons.
“That’s why it is challenging for us, in fact we have written for more assistance from NCDC and the state government.
“Despite the fact that they have been doing well in assisting us, we are still soliciting more from them, considering the number of cases we have recorded.
Kuni said Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus, which is transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces.
“The disease is endemic in Nigeria, with sporadic outbreaks occurring primarily during the dry season”, he added.
