Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
A fresh case of Lassa fever casualties has been confirmed in Ekiti State, as the state government declared Tuesday that three persons have died from the deadly disease.
State Commissioner for Health Dr. Rotimi Ojo, who made this known in Ado Ekiti, said that five out of the eight suspected cases in the State tested negative, while one was uncertain and the last pending as at press time.
Dr. Ojo added that the patient who tested positive and two others have passed away.
The Commissioner noted that the State Government was taking proactive steps in surveillance activities due to some recorded cases and deaths in neighbouring states.
He assured that the State Disease Control team has been activated, while the process of sensitizing the people with jingles, adverts and other communication media is ongoing.
Ojo said that similar actions taken during the 2016 outbreak were successful, adding that the epidemic was perfectly controlled and the identified patient, who was properly managed, survived.
According to him, the three isolation centres at Ido Federal teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti; Oba Adejuyigbe General Hospital, Ado Ekiti and the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti are still operational.
He urged all stakeholders, including health practitioners, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders as well as community and opinion leaders to work with the State Government in order to prevent the spread of the disease in the State.
Dr. Ojo advised people in the State to avoid self-medication and keeping sick people at home, adding that any unusual increase in temperature or fever must be reported to the nearest health facility.
The Commissioner also stressed the importance of environmental sanitation practices and general cleanliness, saying that hand-washing, good food storage, as well as practice and enforcement of infection prevention and control at various health facilities, cannot be compromised.