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

Lagos trains health workers to manage deadly viral infections

The Lagos State Government in collaboration with Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust recently trained health workers in public secondary facilities on the management of deadly Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) with a view to increasing their capacity to identify and promptly manage patients during an outbreak of infectious diseases.

Speaking at the training, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, noted that Lagos, with rapid urbanization and a population of over 22 million people, stands at high risk of an outbreak of infectious diseases.

“These diseases are mostly deadly Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers which include, Ebola, Lassa fever, Yellow fever, and Dengue. These deadly viruses cause sporadic outbreaks all over the country and the goal of the training is to build capacity in identifying and containing them in a mega city like ours” he said.

Idris who was represented by the Director Disease Control in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Eniola Erinosho stated that Medical Directors of General Hospitals have been mandated to designate a ward as Isolation Unit to quarantine suspected cases, stressing that this was done to increase the level of preparedness in the management VHF.

“The Ministry of Health in collaboration with DRASA Health Trust through this training seeks to increase the State’s level of outbreak preparedness, build the capacity of health workers to identify, diagnose and manage cases without jeopardizing their safety and that of residents”, Idris stressed.

The Commissioner added that State Government as part of efforts to enhance emergency preparedness has put in place an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Response, Disease Surveillance, Notification and Response structures in all the 20 local government areas of the State, and the Infectious Disease Control Hospital - Mainland Hospital Yaba.

He also stated that other emergency facilities available in the State include Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Emergency Medical Services (LASEMS), State Environmental Health Monitoring Units (SEHMU), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and Lagos State Waste Management Authority.

Idris noted that enactment of Lagos State Public Health Law and the Lagos State Coronary Law supports emergency preparedness and response, adding that there is an Emergency Call Centre in the State which responds to emergency calls on dedicated lines: 767 and 211.

While commending DRASA Health Trust for collaborating with the Ministry of Health to train health workers on the management of emerging infectious diseases, the Commissioner assured the organization of the State government’s commitment and support in establishing a Simulation Training Centre on Emergency Preparedness and Response for Emerging Infectious Disease at the Lagos Mainland Hospital, Yaba.

Earlier, the Managing Director of DRASA Health Trust, Ms. Niniola Soleye explained that the training covers multiple topics including identification and triage of suspected VHF patients, application of standard precautions, and usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) before and after dealing with a suspected case.

“This is not a typical lecture or presentation type of training. We are using simulation and scenarios to make it hands-on and to ensure that the doctors and nurses we are training actually go through the process. So that when they are faced with a real live infectious patient as Dr. Adadevoh was with the first Ebola patient in 2014, they will know what to do. That is our goal” she said.

DRASA Health Trust was established in memory of Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, the doctor who correctly diagnosed and contained the first case of Ebola in Nigeria. No fewer than 50 Health workers from various general hospitals and primary health care centres in the State were in attendance.

Symptoms and How To Prevent Lassa Fever-

Lassa fever is one of the types of haemorrhagic
fevers that affects human beings and could lead to sudden death.

When caring for patients with Lassa fever, further transmission of the disease through person-to-person contact or nosocomial routes can be avoided by taking preventive precautions against contact with patient secretion (called VHF isolation precautions or barrier nursing methods).

Some of the symptoms of haemorrhagic fever are high fever, serious headache and bleeding from the pores of the body parts which are all characterised by high fatality.

1. Medical presentation and symptoms
These include: High fever; serious headache; pains in the chest region; dry and sore throat; continuous stooling and vomiting; in severe situations, there is bleeding from the mouth, nose and vagina and then death results in later stages.

2. Preventing the disease or transmission
(Mastomys) Rodents and rats are the main vector of the disease. Someone can also be infected from the fluid or blood of an infected person and by shaking hands with people who are seriously infected.

3. Other preventive measures
People should ensure their food is properly covered, either cooked or uncooked. Liquid soap and antiseptics should be used to wash the hands. Also, other rules of regular hand-washing should be adhered to always. Rodenticides should be used to kill rats, while the bush around the home should be cleared regularly. The windows and doors of the house should be closed especially when it is night time.

4. Any body who shows the given symptoms above should report to the hospital immediately in order to prevent people not infected from coming up with the disease.

5. Medical personnel should wear protective clothing, such as masks, gloves, gowns, and goggles; using infection control measures, such as complete equipment sterilization.