Anxiety over fresh outbreak as Lassa fever kills five in Kaduna, Rivers

The Kaduna State government has said Lassa fever killed four persons at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in the state.Muhammad Shehu, chief press secretary to Governor Uba Sani, disclosed the development in a statement on Thursday.

Shehu said the Kaduna government is working with the hospital to contain the situation, adding that persons who came in contact with those infected have been identified and are being closely monitored.

Also, the Rivers State Ministry of Health has confirmed the death of one person in a fresh outbreak of Lassa fever in the state. The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, who disclosed this in Port Harcourt, said the incident followed four cases presented at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.

Oreh said while one of the cases was confirmed after the death of the patient, the other three cases have been treated and the patients reunited with their families.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army Headquarters has said there is no cause for panic over outbreak of Lassa fever in their facility in Kaduna.

According to army spokesman, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the attention of the Army was drawn to concern and apprehension resulting from a leaked correspondence by its medical experts over an outbreak of what presents as Viral Hemorrhagic disease aka Lassa Fever, in its medical facilities in Kaduna.

“While it is yet unclear what we are actually dealing with, the Nigerian Army wishes to confirm that there was some suspicion of what presented as acute Viral Hemorrhagic disease in the Accident and Emergency unit of the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna (NARHK).”
, which has resulted in the death of a couple of its medical staff serving in the hospital.

“In line with best practice in managing such a situation, contact tracing to what is believed to be the index case has been made to a non-military patient who was referred to 44 NARHK from a peripheral medical facility.

” The suspected index patient was managed but subsequently died two weeks ago in the hospital. Sadly, three medical staff of the hospital that had direct contact with the suspected index case have also died within the past 48 hours.

“In response to the suspected outbreak, directives have been passed that Prevention Control (IPC) measures in and around all military health care facilities in Kaduna be stepped up as part of measures to curtail further spread and loss of lives.