Lassa fever kills 3 in Ekiti

Three persons have been confirmed dead in a fresh case of Lassa fever in Ekiti.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Rotimi Ojo, made the disclosure in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday.

He said that five out of the eight new suspected cases in the state tested negative while one was uncertain, with the last pending as at press time.

Ojo added that the patient that tested positive and two others had passed away.

The commissioner insisted that there was still no cause for alarm in the state as government was taking proactive steps in its surveillance activities.

He gave an assurance that the State Disease Control team had been activated while the process of sensitising the people with jingles and other communication media were ongoing.

Ojo said that similar actions taken during the 2016 outbreak were successful, adding that the epidemic was controlled and the identified patient, who was properly managed, survived.

He said that the three isolation centres located at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, Oba Adejuyigbe General Hospital, Ado Ekiti and Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, were still operational.

The commissioner urged all stakeholders, including health practitioners, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders as well as community and opinion leaders, to collaborate with the state government to prevent the spread of the disease.

Ojo also advised residents of the state to avoid self medication and keeping sick people at home, adding that any unusual increase in temperature or fever must be promptly reported to the nearest health facility.

He further urged residents to embrace environmental sanitation practices and general cleanliness.