100 Hospital Workers Under Surveillance As Lassar Fever Kills Two In Lagos

Just when the country thought Lassa Fever was a thing of the past following outbreaks of the fever in various states in the country, the dreaded Lassa Fever has struck the commercial state of the federation Lagos. According to reports two people have been  killed in Lagos as 100 hospital workers who had contact with the victims had been placed under surveillance.

The deceased died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH.

Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof Chris Bode, who confirmed the death said no less than 100 hospital workers exposed to the index case were currently being monitored.

He said the patients died after spending a few days in admission.

“Each of these two patients presented very late and died in spite of efforts to salvage them. The first was a 39-year old pregnant lady with bleeding disorder who died after a stillbirth,” he said.

Bode stated that a post-mortem examination had been conducted before her Lassa fever status was eventually suspected and confirmed, adding that a resident doctor from the Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology who took part in the autopsy was later confirmed with the disease and is currently on admission and responding well to treatment at the Isolation Ward of LUTH.

He also revealed that two other suspected cases from Lagos State were also presently admitted and quarantined while undergoing confirmatory laboratory tests, while enjoining all LUTH workers to maintain a heightened level of alert in the wake of this new outbreak and observe universal precautions in handling all suspected cases of this viral hemorrhagic fever.

Bode told the Vanguard that LUTH was working with officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Health to contain the present Lassa fever outbreak by mobilising human and material resources to trace the sources and extent of the disease, follow up on potential contacts, identify early and test suspected cases.

“There are adequate materials for containment of the disease while drugs have been made available to treat anyone confirmed with the disease. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Nigeria has also been contacted.”