UCH RAISES THE ALARM OVER LASSA FEVER INCREASE IN IBADAN

Authorities of the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan at the weekend expressed worries over the increasing cases of Lassa fever in the Oyo State capital and its environs.
The coordinator of the hospital’s Response Team for Outbreak of Diseases and Emergency, Olusegun Fasina, raised the alarm during a chat with newsmen in Ibadan.
He declared that the number of patients diagnosed with Lassa fever has increased steadily in the last two months.
Fasina noted that the management was particularly worried about the development because the ailment belongs to the same family of Hemorrhagic fever such as the dreaded Ebola, which has raised global concern in recent times due to the level of fatality it has caused, especially in some parts of West Africa.
He emphasised that, “Within the last two months, we have had about 80 samples suspected of hemorrhagic fever of any source. Out of the 80, we are having close to 27 being positive. That is about 35 to 40 percent. That is very high.”
Fasina said, though not all the cases were from Ibadan, most of them were based in the ancient town.
He explained that the UCH was able to diagnose the sufferers because it has state-of-the-art equipment to detect any complex cases of unresolved fever in less than 24 hours, as well as well-skilled personnel to manage the situation.
According him, “When the blood samples of suspected cases are taken, we put them in a cooler called ‘sample boxes’, to prevent officials taking the samples for isolation from being infected. We label the cooler as ‘highly infectious’ and it is opened under proper containment. The sample is processed and within six hours we have the result.
“With that procedure that we have in UCH and the results we have got so far, we can say there is an increase in cases of Lassa fever Ibadan, and by extension, the state.
“UCH only has access to cases referred to it as well as those of individuals who presented themselves after administering series of antibiotics to battle their fever-like ailments without resolving.”
Fasina further declared: “Judging by what we have in Ibadan, I imagine what will be happening to my people in Shaki, Sepeteri and other places in their category within the state. Hemorrhagic fever genres are easily contracted through animals, particularly the domestic ones. These people are farmers. All the bats that they say we should not eat in Ibadan are delicacy there. You say we should not eat bush meat, but they are eating rat like anything there. And that increases the risk of being infected,” the medical microbiologist noted.
“Lassa is not as deadly as Ebola. Also, unlike Ebola, it has cure. But, it is highly infectious and kills too like Ebola.”
Fasina, submitted that if the relevant authorities within the state scale up their commitment to the fight against the spread, the state will be rid of it soon.
He emphasised that it becomes necessary as the limited resources available to UCH is fast depleting even as the number of cases steadily increase.
Source: Nigerian Pilot