There are apprehensions in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital over a possible outbreak of Lassa fever following the death of a student of Federal University Lokoja on Sunday.
There are claims that a male student of the university fell sick and was taken to Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, where his sample was taken and sent to Abuja for laboratory test but the result wasn’t out until the student died.
An X user lagosEbira_gurl on Sunday posted a video showing what looked like fully masked health workers out with people crying in the background.
The Guardian gathered that from preliminary investigation, the hospital had suspected that the sickness that led to the death of the student may not be unconnected with Lassa fever and had to take special precautions in taking the corpse away.
A reliable source at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (NCDC) told The Guardian that the post was true but added that it has not been ascertained whether the student in question died of Lassa fever as they were still awaiting laboratory confirmation.
“The post is true. They are still awaiting Lab confirmation for Lassa fever Once that’s confirmed, we will let you know if it’s Lassa or not,” a source said.
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. Humans usually become infected with Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats.
About 4726 suspected cases of Lassa, 776 confirmed cases and 142 deaths have been recorded in 27 states across 123 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country as at March, 2024.
