Ondo records highest casualty of Lassa Fever within 2 months

Ondo State could have recorded the highest casualties of Lassa fever in the southwest as 15 persons have been confirmed killed by the deadly disease while 102 others were infected between January and February.

This was disclosed on Thursday by the state chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Wale Oke while addressing journalists in Akure.

He listed the local government areas where the disease was recorded to include Owo, Ose, Akoko North, Akure South and Akure North

Oke who noted that as of February 2, no death had been recorded for February, said many of the victims had their kidneys and livers damaged owing to alternative treatment they were subjected to before the cases were reported.

He added that the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, where he works, had the highest success rate out of the three centres for Lassa fever treatment in Nigeria.

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He said, “As of Thursday February 21, 2019, 102 people have been positive to Lassa fever, 82 people in January and 20 people so far in February. About 15 people have died in January as a result of the fever but no death has been recorded so far in February.

“Most people that died either reported late or were already subjected to alternative treatment and doing self-medication before they eventually came to hospital. Their kidneys and livers had been affected as a result of the delay.”

He advised residents to report early to the medical centre if they experienced upsurge of temperature in their bodies.

“We have contact tracing mechanism whereby we can place on surveillance for 21 days those that may have contact with an infected person.

“We continue to monitor their temperature if it is above 37.8 and ask them quick for treatment,” he said.

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