NEMA Warns: Lassa Fever As Dangerous As Ebola

“However, due to the non-specific nature of Lassa fever symptoms and varied presentations, clinical diagnosis is often hard and delayed, especially in the early course of the disease outbreak”.

According to a confirmation from the federal ministry of health, the outbreak was recorded in the Kubwa area of FCT, with one patient dying at the National Hospital Abuja.

The minister has also directed that all primary and secondary contacts of the victim should be tracked, including the staff of the private hospital in Kubwa, where the deceased was first managed for one week and subsequently became unconscious before referral to the National Hospital.

While condoling with families that had lost persons to the disease, the lawmakers advised Nigerians to adhere to rules of personal hygiene as well as report cases of persistent high fever to the nearest health centre.

The 33-year-old newly married lived in Jos Plateau but came to see a family member in Kubwa because of his illness.

As the death toll from Lassa fever outbreak in some states of the federation rose to 41, the Senate yesterday voted against the free distribution of rat poison by the federal government to the citizenry as a way of curtailing the spread of the virus in the country.

“In the last 48-hours the Government has raised a 4-man expert committee headed by Professor Michael Asuzu (a professor of Community Medicine and the current President of Society of Public Health Practitioners of Nigeria) to visit Niger, Kano and Bauchi, the 3 most affected states in the country”.

The committee, according to him is to embark on a fact-finding mission, assess the current situation, identify gaps and proffer recommendations.

People with Lassa fever do not display symptoms in 80 percent of cases but it can cause serious symptoms and death in the remainder.

He also urged the public to avoid contact with rodents as well as food contaminated with rat’s secretions and excretions.

The minister said affected states were advised to intensify awareness about the signs and symptoms of the disease.

The minister, who stated this in Abuja, in a joint ministerial press briefing with Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, noted that government was working tirelessly to prevent further spread of the infection.

Adewole said Nigeria has the capability to diagnose Lassa fever, adding that “all the cases reported so far were confirmed by our laboratories”.