Lassa Fever Victims Not From Osun

By Solomon Odeniyi

The two people diagnosed with Lassa Fever at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife are not residents of Osun, OSUN DEFENDER authoritatively gathered.

According to reliable sources at the OAUTHC yesterday, the two patients came from Ondo State to visit their relatives in Ile-Ife.

One of the sources said: “The two reported cases of Lassa Fever in State of Osun were from people who came visiting in Ile-Ife. They are not residents of Osun. You know we cannot close our border with Ondo, so the people from the state came in and two of them started to show symptoms of Lassa Fever.

“They were taken to the OAUTCHC, Ile-Ife and Wesley Guild Hospital where they were tested to be positive. I am happy to inform you that they are responding to treatment.”

The two Lassa fever caseswere reported on Monday, a development that caused panic among residents of the state.

The panic was heightened after it was rumoured that one of the victims had absconded from the hospital, a report the State Government had since denied.

Speaking during a radio programme on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu said efforts have been put in place to curtail the spread of the disease.

According to him, the government has produced jingles in different languages on radio and television, held sensitisations in markets and religious centres and held capacity building trainings for health care workers.

Two isolation centers, according to Isamotu, have been set up in the state for those that tested positive to the disease.

The Commissioner for Health warned residents of the state against hunting for rats at this period, adding that such expedition might be dangerous to their health. He also urged the residents to keep their environments safe.

He said: “Residents of the community must stop hunting for rats now for. They must ensure that they collectively keep their environments clean so that they will not create a safe haven for rats.  They should also ensure their wastes are kept away from their homes.

“Residents should ensure that their foods are kept in containers rather than nylons and sacks used to prevent rats from making contacts with their foods. If rats make contact with our food it (such foodstuffs) should be disposed. “

He encouraged residents of the state to keep cats in their homes, saying this would help to keep rats away.