Lassa Fever: 3 confirmed, 12 under surveillance in Bauchi

Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency has said that three confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 12 suspected cases have been recorded in the state. Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Rilwan Muhammed who disclosed this on Friday in a chat with newsmen said that a total of 15 cases […]

Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency has said that three confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 12 suspected cases have been recorded in the state.

Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Rilwan Muhammed who disclosed this on Friday in a chat with newsmen said that a total of 15 cases were recorded in the state, three of whom were confirmed positive of the disease while the samples of the 12 others are under investigation.

Muhammed said that the recent outbreak affected Toro, Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi, Bogoro and Dass LGAs, adding that the agency had spend a lot of resources on surveillance to investigate the disease, noting that Toro LGA is the most prevalent area in the state.

Muhammed explained that the agency had already worked out plans to prevent mortality rate from the disease through preventive dialysis, “We have sent a memo to the state governor for a dialysis machine to be used on the patients because all the confirmed cases have renal failure. We also booked 10 units of blood at the specialist hospital Bauchi for the emergency cases.”

Muhammed said that Federal Government has donated drugs and protective pieces of equipment to the state, “Last week federal government donated drugs and  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used by medical personnel for the treatment of suspected and confirmed cases of Lassa fever in the state,”

He also disclosed that Doctors are currently afraid of contacts with patients with all forms of fever in the state, a situation that prompted stakeholders meeting to tackled the issues through the universal safety practice (PPE).

He lamented the ugly practices of some young adults in some part of the state who are hunting rats and selling to the public at rate of N100 in Alkaleri LGA and called on parents and guardian to prevail on their children, subjects against the hunting and selling of the rats so as to complement government efforts to address the menace.

Muhammed also revealed that the state has recorded three suspected cases of yellow fever this year