Kwara confirms one Lassa fever case

The Kwara State Government yesterday confirmed one case of Lassa fever in the state. Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Suleiman Alege, said one of the five samples collected from various communities where a strange illness had earlier been reported was confirmed for Lassa fever by the Virology Unit, Central Research Centre of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), while the other four samples, which were taken from Oro-Ago axis in Ifelodun Council tested negative.

The single sample that tested positive was that of a 10-year-old boy, who was admitted at Babanla Health Care Centre in Ifelodun Council.

He stated: “Our team from the Public Health Department is already moving there, basically to monitor the situation on ground, look at the patient and for people that have had contact with the patient. We will continue to brief you on the happenings on ground.

“Also, our isolation centre will be created at General Hospital, Omu-Aran, which is very close to the place. This information has been passed on to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and other necessary partners and we are now working together technically as a team to nip it in the bud.

“For things that would be needed for proper treatment, the drugs are with us and the governor has procured the protective personal equipment for the medical officers that would be taking care of people and for proper surveillance of the area. So, we are at alert and we are ready.”

He appealled for calm among residents of the affected communities and pledged the government’s readiness to handle the situation promptly.