Worried
by the reported death of two persons in Kano and about 39 others in 11
states across the country as a result of Lassa fever, the state
government has constituted a 22- man Task Force on Lassa Fever
Response.
Inaugurating
the Task Force, the state governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje warned
that because the disease is spread by rodents as a result of poor
hygienic practices, it has become imperative for the people to pay more
attention to personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.
Advising
the people not to allow rodents feed on their foods, the governor
stressed “the need for families to properly dispose food remnants and
ensure that their kitchen utensils are kept clean always”.
Governor
Ganduje also urged the people to be on the watch for symptoms of the
disease and to report any suspected Lassa fever case to the nearest
health facility. He said government would place emphasis on advocacy and
public enlightenment to ensure that Lassa fever no longer occurs in the
state.
The
state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kabir Ibrahim Getso who disclosed
that the two patients who died in the state as a result of the Lass
epidemic were officially recorded in November, 2015 but both died on the
4th December of the same year.
Dr.Getso
explained that the Lassa virus is carried by rats and spread to humans
adding that the ailment could be spread from person to person through
direct contact, adding that his ministry has designated a health
facility at ‘Yargaya to handle Lassa Fever cases.
The
commissioner added that the state government has also set aside a
hotlines to track the diseases, engaged in aggressive contact tracing of
the deceased victims as well as embarked upon vigorous public enlighten
campaigns through radio.
The
illness reportedly was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses
died in Nigeria. The virus is thus named after Lassa, a village in Borno
State in the North East where the first cases occurred.
Ameen Yassar
Press Secretary to the
Exec. Gov. of Kano State
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