Lassa fever: Enugu govt urges residents not to panic

THE Enugu State Government on Tuesday urged residents not to panic or entertain any fear due to the confirmed case of Lassa fever death.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state Ministry of Health, had on Monday, confirmed t that one patient died in a government hospital in the state.

Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi, the Permanent Secretary, the state Ministry of Health, told NAN in Enugu that “there is no cause for alarm’’.

Agujiobi revealed that the state had no other suspected or confirmed case of Lassa fever presently.

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He said that the ministry had identified the high and low-risk individuals, who came in contact with the deceased through contact-tracing, adding that they had been attended to medically on time; “since timely treatment checks the virus’’.

He also said that the government had contacted the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Abuja on the latest development and how the centre could come in and assist the state.

The permanent secretary noted that the state had already commenced a massive sensitisation against the disease in local radio and television houses, using native languages.

NAN reports that the state has already started deploying experts in epidemiology and health professionals to begin contact-tracing of doctors, health workers, family members, friends and food vendors patronised by the deceased.

It was learnt that the victim died in one of the Federal Government health facilities (name withheld) within the Enugu metropolis.