Eight Year Old Girl Tests Positive To Lassa Fever in Gombe, 14 Suspected Cases Recorded In Lagos, One dead

 Gombe State Director of Public Health Dr Joshua Abubakar has explained that an eight year old girl in Gombe from Lamban village of Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area, has tested ‎positive to Lassa fever.

Dr Abubakar, told reporters in Gombe on Friday that, the girl was brought to the specialist hospital from a private clinic, and that the sample sent to a laboratory in Lagos confirmed she has Lassa fever.

He said the girl was currently at the isolation ward of the hospital and responding to treatment.

Abubakar said, the state rapid response team, were trying to trace the route of the sickness through the girl's family members.

He said, there were seven suspected cases out of which five were confirmed negative, one positive and one still pending.

In a related development,

 The Lagos State Government confirmed on Friday, 22 January, 2016 that it has recorded two more cases of the deadly Lassa Fever and was currently battling with 14 cases of suspected cases of the diseases as at Thursday, January16, 2016.

The government added that three of the suspected cases had tested positive, while eight tested negative, with the results of the three others being awaited.

Guardian Newspaper gathered that the new two cases were discovered on January 15 and 18, respectively.

The suspected cases were discovered at Ahmadiyya Hospital, Orile Alimosho, Mushin, Amuwo, Eti-Osa and Mainland General Hospitals.

Giving the update on the disease, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said aside the case of the 25-year-old undergraduate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, there was another 51-year-old man that lived in Ilasan Lekki, who came back from Edo State, where he attended a wedding ceremony on December 28, last year.

“He was initially admitted at Divine Medical Centre in Ikoyi on January 12, this year and referred to Mainland Hospital, Yaba early January 18.

“The patient died at 2pm same day before the result of the laboratory test that confirmed him positive of Lassa fever was received,” the commissioner disclosed.

He added that the remains of the patient had been kept in the morgue in a leak proof bag and were to be buried yesterday after due consultation with the family.

Dr. Idris noted that the second fresh case, which is the third to be recorded in the state, involved a 36-year-old lady from Kogi State.

He added: “The case first presented at Naval Reference Hospital in Ojo on January 18 and referred to Mainland Hospital later same day.

“The patient is being managed at Mainland Hospital and has received antiviral medication for five days. Her condition is stable and she is recuperating.”

He stated that a total of 447 cases had been listed, out which 438 were being monitored.

At Ifako-Ijaiye, the commissioner said out of 100 contacts line of the first case listed, 91 of them were being monitored.

In Mushin Hospital, all the 18 contact listed were also being monitored, as well as 42 contacts listed in Alimosho General Hospital, but only one person was listed and being monitored in Kosofe General Hospital.

In the second case, Idris said 66 listed contacts line were under surveillance, while a total of 220 contacts line were being monitored in Mainland General Hospital.

 

Source: Daily Trust, GuardianNewspapers