Nigeria Centre for Disease Control Chief Executive Officer, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, has confirmed 23 new cases of Lassa fever that were recorded between February 18 and February 24. According to him, from the onset of the 2019 outbreak, there have been 83 deaths in confirmed cases and 15 healthcare workers affected.
The states affected are Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba, FCT, Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Kwara, Benue, Rivers, Kogi, Enugu, Imo, Delta, Oyo, Kebbi and Cross River States.
The Commissioner for Health in Ondo State, Wahab Adegbenro, said the disease was costing the government “between N1.5 million and N1.6 million to successfully treat a Lassa fever patient.”
Health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Lassa fever should apply extra infection control measures to prevent contact with the patient’s blood and body fluids and contaminated surfaces or materials such as clothing and bedding. When in close contact (within 1 metre) of patients with Lassa fever, health-care workers should wear face protection (a face shield or a medical mask and goggles), a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves (sterile gloves for some procedures).
Effective measures to prevent Lassa fever include storing grain and other foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers, disposing of garbage far from the home, maintaining clean households and keeping cats.
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