A doctor
has been diagnosed with Lassa fever in Jigawa State.
The acting
permanent secretary, Jigawa State Ministry of health, Salisu Mu’azu, confirmed
this to Premium Times Sunday morning.
The
victim, Anthony Etim, said to be a staff of Medicins Sans Frontieres also known
as Doctors without Borders, is now being treated at the isolated Infectious
disease control unit in Jahun hospital at Jahun Local Government Area of
Jigawa.
Mr Etim
reportedly developed the symptoms following an official engagement at an
Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs Camp) in Borno State.
This
development is coming days after two doctors and a pregnant woman
died from the disease in the neighbouring Kano State.
Mr Mu’azu
said about eleven people in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa are
being closely monitored following contact with a relative, a medical doctor,
now quarantined in Kano over the Lassa fever.
He said
the state government is taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of
the disease among health personnel by using the approved standard of protective
materials for its personnel.
Also,
radio jingles are being in place to enlighten the public about the killer
disease and the need for prevention, the official said.
Lassa
Fever -
Lassa
fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. The
disease is endemic in Nigeria and cases are recorded all year round.
The
natural carrier of the virus is the multimammate rat, but the disease is also
spread through human to human transmission.
Lassa
fever is largely transmitted through contact with items or surfaces
contaminated with urine, faeces, saliva or blood of infected rats.
It can
also be transmitted from person-to-person through contact with blood, urine,
faeces and other body fluids of an infected person.
Early
symptoms are fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, sore throat etc. In
very severe cases, the patient bleeds from body openings.
Between
January 1 and 19, a total of 398 suspected cases were reported from various
states across Nigeria, leading to 24 deaths.
- Premium
Times
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