Lassa fever

LAGOS State Government said one of the two remaining Lassa fever patients at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, was set for full recovery.

This came as the government disclosed the state had 448 persons under its follow-up contact list and was at present investigating a new suspected case of the disease.

At a briefing ahead of immunization exercise for children in the state  against  measles billed to commence tomorrow, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said “We have 448 people on our contact list and with this new case, we are still investigating if confirmed, then our contact will increase but I am assuring that there is nothing to fear about.”

According to him, one of the two remaining Lassa fever patients at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, was near full recovery as test carried on him came out negative.

Responding to questions the briefing, Idris dismissed insinuations that the two victims had died.

He said: “We have two cases now and they are doing very well, one of them in LUTH has zero converted it means he has now become negative based on the treatment, so if you come out very early you can be treated.”

The Commissioners explained that the state government had put measures in place to ensure that residents were protected, saying “if you fall ill with fever or noticed someone with fever symptoms that is not responding to normally malaria treatment there is need to report to nearest health facilities and we would carry out the appropriate diagnosis.”

On the immunization exercise, he said the government was  targeting over 4 million children for measles, noting that exercise which is a  2nd phase of the nationwide measles Follow-Up campaign,  was aimed at reducing any build –up of susceptible born since the previous supplemental immunization activities.

The commissioner also noted that the exercise, which will hold between January 28,  and February 1, 2016 in 20 Local Government Areas, LGAs, and 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, was also to reduce childhood mortality and morbidity from measles infection among children aged 9 months to 59 months.