New outbreak of Lassa Fever in Nigeria(Oyo State)

[jchima]

There has been a fresh outbreak of Lassa fever in Oyo state. This comes barely one week after Nigeria was officially declared Ebola-free. The spread of the hemorrhagic fever has been confirmed by State Commissioner for Health, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin.

Gbadegesin, who spoke to journalists in Ibadan, said there has been a confirmation of no fewer than 10 cases of Lassa fever in the state, three of which came in from another state. He reiterated that the government was in total control of the situation.
“We are already working to bring it under control. We are doing the best to curtail it. We have what it takes to manage it very well. I only want to appeal to our people to be very hygienic and when they feel that something is wrong with our system, we should go to the hospital for proper diagnosis of their sickness and treatment,” the commissioner said.

Source: New outbreak of Lassa Fever in Oyo State - eReporter

 

[waltky]

You dirty rats...

Rat Poison Flies Off Shelves as Lassa Fever Spreads in Nigeria
January 27, 2016 — An outbreak of a fever similar to the Ebola virus has Nigeria on edge.

Lassa fever has sickened at least 57 people and killed 34 since it broke out in Nigeria late last year. The disease is transmitted by rats, and in its later stages shares symptoms with Ebola, which killed over 11,000 people in West Africa after it broke out in 2013. Eight people died from Ebola in Nigeria. Lassa fever, which is named after a town in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, sickens people who come into contact with rat excrement. Symptoms in the early stage include headache and fever, while in later stages people can bleed from their mouth and other orifices.

The fever broke out in parts of the country’s north, before spreading south to the commercial capital Lagos and to Edo and Akwa Ibom states in the Niger Delta. Hassan Garba, a hospital director in the northern city of Bauchi, blamed the transportation of crops for the spread of the disease. “When you’re moving food material like grains from the north to the south or the east or to the west of the country, you most probably may be moving with rats who can hide among shipments," said Garba.

A vendor sells bags of rat poison in northern Nigeria's largest city of Kano​

That’s led to a run on supplies of rat poison in cities across the north. In Kaduna, Adamu Abubakar said he wasn’t taking any chances at home. “This fever brought by rat, so that is why I’m rushing to the market and I’ll buy… rat medicine in order to kill all the rat that is in my house,” said Abubakar.

Merchant Odundele Benga said his supplies of the poison were exhausted. “People are rushing the rat poison now. I don’t even have enough to sell,” said Benga. But the director of the Kaduna state ministry of health Ado Zakari Mohammed warned people to be cautious with the poison, which is deadly to humans.

Rat Poison Flies Off Shelves as Lassa Fever Spreads in Nigeria

 

[waltky]

Containing tropical diseases...

Nigeria Contained Ebola; Can We Contain Lassa Fever and Zika Virus?
02/08/2016 - On the 14th January 2016, the World Health Organisation declared an end of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Less than a day later, a new case in Sierra Leone was detected, indicating that the path to eradication must be paved with vigilance and patience.

Indeed, Nigeria -- my home country -- was among the first West African nations to contain the recent Ebola outbreak, as a result of rapid action, resilience and resources, and widespread health education. Lessons from our fight against Ebola can be applied to the recent outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria, which has already claimed 40 lives, with almost 100 reported cases in at least 10 states. The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) and I have taken rapid steps to elevate awareness of this deadly disease and its prevention, in line with our health education efforts across Nigeria. Our strong health education platform, #MaternalMonday, is designed to engage and empower individuals on a range of health issues related to health. In light of warnings from the World Health Organisation, WBFA and I have taken steps to educate women globally about Zika Virus and the risks that the virus poses to their health and the health of their children through our #MaternalMonday campaign. We believe that through health education and rapid awareness efforts, we can prevent an outbreak from turning into an epidemic.

An acute hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus, Lassa fever can be transmitted through contact with an infected rodent or contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including mother-to-child transmission and consumption of infected food items. Pregnant women, especially those in the third trimester of pregnancy face a higher risk of contracting the disease -- which causes mortality in 95% of cases. As studies have indicated, the increased likelihood of mortality at this stage of pregnancy is due to immunosuppression associated with the third trimester of pregnancy. To prevent Lassa fever, WBFA have produced an infographic on the importance of hand-washing and rodent control, while warning against contact with infected bodily fluids.

In light of the prodigious threat posed by Lassa fever to an already fragile public healthcare system, WBFA and I will also facilitate capacity building for healthcare workers, especially in the areas of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), in order to minimize morbidities and mortalities resulting from the disease, especially among vulnerable women and children. Moreover, we will be folding in Lassa fever prevention tips into our #MaternalMonday antenatal health education classes, delivered to expectant mothers across Nigeria to encourage rapid action, awareness, and behavior change amongst patients, so as to stem the spread of disease. Through our Alaafia Universal Health Coverage Fund (AUHCF), we are scaling up access to primary healthcare and building an effective infrastructure for the provision of primary health services, as a solution to containing and preventing future epidemics.

For information on Lassa Fever, check out our infographic below!

Nigeria Contained Ebola; Can We Contain Lassa Fever and Zika Virus?