Akwa Ibom State government, yesterday, disclosed that it has recorded three suspected cases of Lassa Fever with one confirmed case of a 53-year-old female crayfish seller, who died
before her test result came out.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, who disclosed this at the inauguration of a task force on the eradication of Lassa Fever in Akwa Ibom, said that one of the suspected cases absconded, while the second case happened to be someone who has been undergoing treatment for HIV.
Meanwhile, as the battle to curtail the outbreak of Lassa Fever continued in Lagos, no fewer than 7,243 rats have been killed since the outbreak of the virus in the state.
This is just as Lagos State government has directed its environmental officers to embark on a massive sensitisation campaign across the state on the need to de-rat the state.
These were disclosed, yesterday, evening at the sensitization and awareness programme on Lassa Fever outbreak, organised by the state government for environmental health workers at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa secretariat, Ikeja.
President Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria, EHOAN, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Samuel Akingbehin, said that over 7,243 rats had been killed at eight major markets in the state under its de-rat market programme.
Akingbehin, in an interview with Vanguard, said that the affected markets were Onigbongbo, Oshodi, Oke-Odo, Ikotun Idanwo, Ojuwoye, Mile 12 and Alaba-Rago markets.
He noted that eradication of rats in the markets was part of the association’s efforts to curb the spread of Lassa Fever in the state since its outbreak in January 14, 2015.
On the Akwa Ibom situation, Dr. Ukpong said: “The situation is that Akwa Ibom is no longer free, and since rat meat is not so much a delicacy in the state, I appeal to those that eat rat to please stop it. We advise that you keep cats if you can, because cats drive away rats.”
He charged the constituted Response Committee on Lassa Fever to ensure the state kicks out the disease.
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