LASSA FEVER KILLS 35.

At least 35 people have died in the latest
outbreak of Lassa fever since November last year,
the Federal Ministry of Health said yesterday.
76 people were infected across eight states -
Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers,
Edo and Oyo, health minister, Isaac Adewole, said
at a news conference in Abuja.
Laboratory tests have confirmed 14 cases positive
for Lassa fever in the past six weeks, he said.
Bauchi State reported the first case in November,
shortly before Kano. Those affected suffered
acute fever with bleeding, he said.
Symptoms of the Lassa fever virus infection takes
six to 21 days to manifest, though there are no
symptoms in 80% of infections.
The disease, which begins gradually, progresses
to affect several organs in the body such as the
liver, spleen and kidneys.
Common symptoms include fever, general
weakness and malaise followed by headache,
sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea,
vomiting, diarrhoea, cough and bleeding from the
mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract and
low blood pressure.
The “multimammate rat” called Mastomys
natalensis, which has many breasts and lives in
the bush and peri-residential areas, is the natural
host of the Lassa virus which is shed in the urine
and droppings and is transmitted through direct
contact, touching objects or eating food
contaminated with these materials or through
cuts or sores.
Infections can also occur in hospitals when
infection prevention and control practices are not
observed.
“Person to person transmission also occurs,
especially when a person comes in contact with
the virus in the blood, tissue, secretions or
excrements of an infected individual,” the ministry
warned.
The health ministry has released a supply of the
antiviral drug, Ribavirin, to affected states.
Rapid response teams have also been deployed to
assist in investigating and verifying the cases and
tracing of contacts.
Clinicians in affected states are also helping to
manage patients and trace contacts amidst
nationwide warnings for better hygiene practices.
“Nigeria has the capability to diagnose Lassa
fever and all the cases reported so far were
confirmed by our laboratories,” said Adewole.
The ministry has opened hotlines to contact
epidemiologists and the federal health ministry in
the event of cases suspected to be Lassa fever:
08093810105, 08163215251, 08031571667 and
08135050005.