Two persons, including a 36-year-old pregnant woman, have died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, after being treated for Lassa fever.
Also, not less than 100 different hospital workers, who were exposed to the index case, including a resident doctor from the Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology are currently under close observation in LUTH.
The resident doctor was said to have taken part in the autopsy of the late pregnant woman. He is currently at the surveillance unit of the hospital, where he is being treated.
According to THISDAY, the Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, said that the two patients died within a few days of admission as they presented late to the hospital in spite of efforts of the health workers to save their lives, adding that the late pregnant woman’s post-mortem examination was conducted before her Lassa fever status was eventually suspected and confirmed.
“The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Nigeria has also been contacted. Two other suspected cases from Lagos State are also currently admitted and quarantined while undergoing confirmatory laboratory test. The top management team of the hospital and I today visited the doctor and staff to boost morale and assure them of the hospital’s full support,” he said.
He enjoined all LUTH workers to maintain a high level of alert in the wake of the new outbreak and observe universal precautions in handling all suspected cases of the viral haemorrhagic fever.
Bode said: “LUTH has always worked closely with officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health in handling a number of diseases of public importance such as rabies, cholera, Lassa fever and the recent diarrhoea disease at the Queen’s College.
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“Both the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Health have responded swiftly to contain this present Lassa fever outbreak by mobilising human and material resources to trace the sources and extent of the disease, follow up on potential contacts and identify early and test suspected cases.
“There are adequate materials for containment of the disease, while drugs have been made available to treat anyone confirmed with the disease. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Nigeria has also been contacted. Two other suspected cases from Lagos state are also currently admitted and quarantined while undergoing confirmatory laboratory tests,” he stated.
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