Lassa fever: Ogun state victim responds to treatment
– The 28-year-old Lassa fever victim is responding to treatment
– The number of primary contacts to the victim has increased from 60 to 110
– This is Ogun state’s first case of Lassa fever
File photo of Lassa fever virus
The 28-year-old lady who contracted the Lassa fever virus in Ogun state is fast responding to treatment and now stable to eat and drink without any symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea.
The Senior Registrar, Internal Medicine Department, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Dr. Olaitan Abimbola, who was directly attached to the lady at the teaching hospital in Sagamu stated this on Saturday, February 6, while briefing the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye on the condition of the victim.
Ipaye, who was at the teaching hospital this morning to ascertain the condition of the lady,also said that the number of primary contacts to the victim has now increased from 60 to 110.
He stated that the increase was due to the fact that all those that have been on admission before and after the lady in question. They were brought into the two private hospitals and put under close surveillance.
The commissioner said that, “if not for the pro-activeness of the state government and the prompt information by owners of both Central Specialist and Rubee hospitals to the Ministry of Health, the situation would have escalated.”
He added that all the 110 persons have been given a thermometer each to monitor the level of their temperature with one surveillance officer attached to each of them.
While appreciating the two private hospitals, the commissioner however revealed that said the hospitals have been decontaminated by the state health workers and would be reopening as soon as possible.
He added that the state government regrets any indirect inconveniences, the issues might have caused the hospitals.
In her response to how far the lady was responding to treatment, Dr. Olaitan Abimbola said, she was brought in with a confirmed case of Lassa Fever with temperature of 39. 8 degree Centigrate, adding that, by the time she was been administered with the required drugs, the temperature has reduced to 38. 4.
“The persistence abdominal pain, restlessness, breathlessness had gone down drastically, she can now eat and drink with no sign of vomiting, diarrhea and no discharged from any parts of the body.
“The victim has since place on Revavirin and other drugs and will be monitor until she has completed the 10 doses of Revavirin. Now that she is perfectly responding to treatment and no more abdominal pain, dizziness and any other complication, then, she will be handed over to the Surveillance Officer for further necessary actions”, Dr. Abimbola said.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Health, Dr. Nafiu Aigoro, said that, the present administration in the state never rest on its oars, considering the fact that some neighbouring states have been effected with the disease.
He said that surveillance officers and health workers has been put on red alert, even before the first case was recorded in the state.
The Director of Public Health in the Ministry, Dr. Yusuf Qudus confirmed that the lady was fast responding to treatment, compared to when she was brought in with so many complications.
Qudus, however declared that the over 100 persons under surveillance would be watched closely between 6-21 days incubation period, before they can be released to their family members.
It would be recalled that the first case of Lassa fever was recorded in the state on Wednesday, February, 3.
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