Lagos has recorded a case of the Lassa Hemorrhagic fever which has raged in over 19 States across 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), maintaining that the situation is under control and calling on residents to remain calm.
Abayomi gave an assurance that the State government, in active collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, is doing everything possible to curtail 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’ in line with international standards to determine those who may have been infected 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 the prevention and control of the disease remains a shared responsibility of all citizens through the observance of the highest possible standards of personal and community hygiene as well as environmental sanitation.
The Commissioner advised residents on preventive measures such as storage of household refuse in sanitary refuse bags or dust bins with tight-fitting covers to avoid infestation by rats and rodents; disposal of refuse properly at designated dump sites and not into the drainage system; as well as storage of food items in rodent-proof containers in order to create a habitable and conducive environment free of disease.
While outlining strategies put in place by the State government to control the disease, the Commissioner explained that regular monitoring is being maintained through its disease surveillance officers at local government level to prevent a spread of the disease in Lagos.
“Isolation wards have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases; drugs and other materials have also been pre-positioned at designated facilities while health workers have been placed on red alert and community sensitisation activities intensified”, Abayomi noted.
The Commissioner urged health workers to 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.
Abayomi, therefore, urged health workers as well as citizens to report any suspected case or cases of the disease to the nearest government-approved health facility, the Ministry of Health or call the emergency operations centre lines - 08023169485, 08033565529 and 08052817243.
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