Lassa Fever Hits Lagos As Govt Calls For Calm...Advises On Safety Precautions

AgegePulse Magazine

Lagos has recorded a case of the Lassa Hemorrhagic fever which has been reported to be raging in over 19 States in the country.

Commissioner for Health Prof, Akin Abayomi who disclosed this today confirmed that the patient is currently in isolation at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

Abayomi while noting that the situation is under control called on residents to be calm and not panic, assuring thatState government in active collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is doing everything possible to control the spread of the disease in Lagos State.

“The Ministry of Health through Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health Directorate is currently carrying out ‘contact tracing’ to determine those who may have been infected in line with international standards while we beef up our other surveillance strategies “, he said.

Abayomi reiterated the need for members of the public to ensure and maintain adequate personal hygiene and environmental sanitation at all times as part of prevention and control measures against the spread of the disease in the State

He averred that that the prevention and control of the disease remains a shared responsibility of all citizens through observance of the highest possible standards of personal and community hygiene as well as environmental sanitation.

The urged residents to store house-hold refuse in sanitary refuse bags or dust bins with tight-fitting covers to avoid infestation by rats and rodents; dispose refuse properly at designated dump sites and not into the drainage system and store food items in rodent-proof containers. He added that it is by so doing that a habitable and conducive environment, and a disease-free State can be achieved.

“Members of the public are further advised to avoid contact with rats, to always cover their food and water properly, cook all their food thoroughly, as well as block all holes in the septic tanks and holes through which rats can enter the house and clear rat hideouts within the premises”, he said.

While outlining strategies put in place by the State government to control the disease, the Commissioner explained that the Lagos State is maintaining relevant surveillance activities through its disease surveillance officers at local government level to prevent the spread of the disease in Lagos.  

“Isolation wards have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases,drugs and other materials have also been prepositioned at designated facilities while health workers have been placed on red alert and community sensitization activities intensified”, Abayomi noted. 

The Commissioner advised health workers, both in the public and private hospitals in the State to ensure that they observe universal safety precautions and comply with infection prevention and control measures when dealing with patients, stressing that appropriate personal protective equipment like hand gloves, facemasks, goggles and overalls must be worn when attending to cases.

“Hands must be washed often with soap and running water or application of hand sanitizers after each contact with patients or contaminated materials and instruments must be autoclaved. Also hospital mattresses must be covered with plastic sheets to prevent contamination”, Abayomi added.

He stated that a case of Lassa Fever should be suspected in any person with persistent high fever not responding to standard treatment for malaria and typhoid fever or bleeding from bodysurface.

The Commissioner urged health workers as well as citizens to report suspected case or cases of the disease to the nearest government approved health facility, the Ministry of Health or call the emergency operation centre lines - 08023169485, 08033565529 and 08052817243.

“I would like to reassure Lagosians that our vigilance levels are very high and we are putting more measures in place to safe guard the State”, Abayomi note

Infrastructure: Agege LG Begins Construction of Emergency Ambulance Point

...Egunjobi, Councilors, Others Inspect Project

Accident is said to be a known crisis but when it would occur is unknown.

It is in view of the aforementioned that the Executive Chairman of Agege LG, Alhaji Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi commenced the construction of an Emergency Ambulance Point at the T-Junction area linking Agege Motor Road and Capital Road.

In a chat with Agege Pulse, Egunjobi revealed that the Emergency Ambulance Point is aimed at complementing efforts of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA.

He stressed that the project will ensure safety of lives on roads within and outside the council as the rush that comes with yuletide season approaches.

"When completed, the Ambulance Point would provide swift emergency call on road for quick response to any road accident especially during the excessive rush of the festive period. The emergency services will not be for people of Agege only, but to every individual plying that busy axis."

"We believe the project will help to safeguard lives of our people by drastically reducing loss of lives whenever road accident occurs. Mostly, it will bring health facilities nearer to our people in order to complement efforts of Governor Ambode in this regard." Egunjobi said.

Moreover, the chairman, councillors - Hon Abiodun Folarin (ward G), Hon Odejobi Kabiru Akande ward E) and some other officials of Agege LG visited the site at the early hours of today to inspect level of work done.

Gov. Ambode Unveils Three Executive Boats, Four Jet Skis -AgegePulse

... Targets 2million passengers on water daily

...We‘ll Explore Tourism, Economic Potential Of Waterways, Says Ambode

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday inaugurated three newly acquired executive boats by the State Government, with a pledge to fully explore the tourism and economic potentials of the waterways in the State for the overall benefit of the people.

Speaking at the unveiling of the boats held at Caverton Jetty in Civic Centre area of Victoria Island, the Governor said the State Government was committed to the implementation of the integrated transport management system designed to scale up water, rail and land transportation, saying that the grand plan is to divert at least two million passengers on the waterways daily thereby reducing traffic on the road.

He said the boats and four Jet Skis recently acquired by the State Government to ensure safety and fight crime on the waterways were prelude to major plans to fully activate the potentials of water transportation, while in coming months, the State Government would take delivery of additional seven commercial ferries, among other plans for the sector.

According to him, “This is a significant day for Lagos State as we commission three boats belonging to the Lagos State Government. We discovered that sometimes, we do not have the ability for our officials to go on the waterways to address issues relating to people and citizens that live alongside the waterways.

“As you aware, twenty-five per cent of Lagos is water and it is important that we put in the right initiatives that can actually make activities on our waterways to thrive and the also people living along the waterways to bring them into proper perspective.

“Sometimes when dignitaries come from other States or countries, they are not able to see the true side of Lagos from waterways perspective and that is one of the reasons the State Government decided that we would procure the boats that would help us to promote tourism in the State so that people can see the great potentials of Lagos State,” he said.

Governor Ambode said as much was ongoing on road rehabilitation and construction, as well as the rail system, the water sector was also experiencing specific initiatives such as construction of terminals, channelization, construction of walkways, among others to encourage more people to key into the sector.

He said: “As people are well aware, we are committed to the integrated transport management system that we have promised Lagosians. As much as we are doing on the roads, we have decided that we would face the waterways. We have just ordered the procurement of seven ferries; we have also invited people from the private sector to take over terminals and also be able to procure their own boats and ferries.

“We are so particular about safety; we are so particular about the future of everyone and that is why we decided also that we would do a lot on channelization and dredging on waterways to make it motorable. People will begin to see all these at the end of the first quarter of 2018 and we believe strongly also that both the government boats and the ones from the private sector will start to berth the waterways of Lagos and we will use that to complement what it is that we have on our roads and also use it to complement the future of what we are trying to plan for the rail system.”

He added that over six million people walk every day on Lagos roads and that accounted for why walkways were being constructed across the State, while there are plans to create connectivity between water terminals and the roads, especially in Badore, Ajah, Mile 2, Badagry, Ikorodu and other places where there are terminals.

While stating that the maintenance and sustenance of the boats had been outsourced to specialists to ensure proper usage, Governor Ambode also invited more private sector stakeholders interested to invest in the waterways to partner with the State Government, saying his administration is liberal, transparent and willing to collaborate with interested investors.

In his opening remarks, Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Engr Adebowale Akinsanya said about thirty commercial routes on the State waterways have been identified for dredging and channelization, while ten jetties spread across the State were being constructed, among other ongoing plans for the sector.

He also said that the Ministry was working in concert with the Ministry of Justice to enforce relevant laws guiding the waterways to ensure compliance with safety standards and checkmate any illegal activity by operators.

Also speaking on safety plans for the waterways, General Manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr. Tiamiyu Adeshina said the Jet Skis would be deployed across the State to aid rescue operation in case of emergency, and also help to fight crime.

“Each of the Jet Skis has the capacity to carry two divers and the idea behind this is that when an incident occurred on the water, there is a Jet Ski that will move divers fast to the incident scene while the rescue boats are coming behind and when they get there, divers are dropping into the waters and as soon as they rescue people, we put them into the rescue boat and take them to hospital,” Adeshina said, just as he revealed  that training to that effect was already ongoing.

Also, the Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mr. Damilola Emmanuel, said the commissioning was the beginning of sustainable development for the waterways, adding that apart from efforts by the agency to enforce safety standards, the State Government has concluded plans to license 10 new operators who would provide better ferries.

The Governor also inspected ongoing projects on the waterways especially at Orange Island and Lekki Foreshore areas of the State.

LASG TO BEGIN DISBURSEMENT OF N25BN EMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND NEXT WEEK

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Tuesday, disclosed the State Government would begin the disbursement of the much anticipated N25 billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) and other empowerment programmes initiated by his administration next week.

Governor Ambode, who spoke at the 3rd Quarter 2016 Town Hall Meeting, held at the Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere said that the funds for the programmes targeted to assist youths, artisans and the needy become self reliant have been provided, hence beneficiaries would start getting support from the last quarter of the year.

“We will roll out all our empowerment programmes immediately to assist all our youth, artisans and the needy. The funding for the N500m Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund has been provided and beneficiaries will start getting support from this quarter,” Governor Ambode said.

On security, especially at the community level, Governor Ambode also disclosed plans to recruit at least 5,000 Neighbourhood Watchers with new recruits expected to earn at least N25, 000 monthly with other allowances.

He said the neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill which he signed into Law on August 15, 2016, was part of efforts to institutionalise and deepen community policing in the State.

“There is a law that has just been passed which is the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps Law, 2016 and in line with the resolution taken by the House of Assembly yesterday, we would go all out to make sure that this agency is activated and all our neighborhoods will be covered, and then centralize with the State Government with all the necessary equipment and resources to ensure that we establish what we call community policing and that is the way to go.
“We will rebrand Neighborhood Watchers and re-equip them to the level that each Neighborhood Watchers in all the Local Governments will have their vehicles and necessary equipment to complement security. We are also working on employing additional 5,000 Neighborhood Watchers in all our Local Governments and they will be paid by us, while the basic salary for the entrance level will be N25,000 per month,” the Governor said.

Speaking on the budget performance of the 2016 budget, Governor Ambode disclosed that the State’s budget performance for January to September performed at 69 per cent as against 65 per cent for the same period in 2015.

Ambode revealed that a total of N166.8billion has been spent on capital projects this year, a figure, he said, was more than double the N53.6billion spent for the same period.