Medical Doctor, Three Others Die of Lassa Fever in Anambra

Medical Doctor, Three Others Die of Lassa Fever in Anambra

Three persons, including a medical doctor, have reportedly died of  Lassa Fever in Anambra State.

It was gathered that the medical doctor was brought into the state from Asaba where he was practicing and possibly contracted the disease there.

Speaking at a one-day lassa fever training workshop organised by the state Ministry of Health, a resource person at the workshop, Dr. Jane Ezeonu, confirmed that the medical doctor died at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, three days ago.

The state Director of Public Health, Dr. Emmanuel Okafor, said the state had recorded the death of three others persons with the same disease within the year.
Ezeonu warned the people of the state to stop eating raw Garri (soaked in water), adding that they should protect their food and related items from rat excreta.
He said general hygiene was important in lassa fever prevention.

On his part, Okafor said the essence of the workshop was to train professionals who would go to the grassroots to educate the people on the prevention of the disease.

He said: “In Anambra State we don’t know the number of cases of the disease but we have three confirmed deaths.

Okafor called on health workers in the state to exercise high standard in handling lassa fever cases.
The director of Public Health said the state government had put proactive measures to handle the scourge.
Speaking also, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Dr Okwuchukwu Chukwuka, said there was no epidemic of the disease in the state.

Chukwuka who represented the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Josephat Akabuike, at the occasion, said the training workshop was a proactive measure.
 “It is a training workshop for health professionals in the 21 local government areas of the state who would sensitise and disseminate information about lassa fever to the grassroots.
“This workshop is for prevention, not that we have an epidemic in the state,” Chukwuka said.