Lassa Fever outbreak: Kwara community warns commissioner against unnecessary deaths

The Oro Ago Community in Kwara State has warned the state government and especially the Commissioner of Health against unnecessary death as a result of their carelessness in handling outbreak of Lassa Fever in Oro Ago and Ifelodun local council, the home of Governor Fatah Ahmed.

In a statement issued by the Oro Ago Unity Alliance and made available to the media in Abuja on Saturday, the community condemned the attitude of the Kwara State Commissioner for Health, “who has elected to live in denial instead of waking up to the responsibilities of his office.”

“Now that the Kwara State Commissioner for Health has eaten the humble pie by admitting the outbreak of lassa fever in the state, we urge the government to do the needful before mire unnecessary deaths are recorded in Oro Ago and Ifelodun local council, the home if Governor Fatah Ahmed.

The Oro Ago Unity Alliance urged the state government to do the needful before unnecessary deaths are recorded in Oro Ago and Ifelodun areas of the state.

The statement read: “We have read with utter dismay the contents of his Press Conference held in Ilorin on August 18, about three weeks after deaths were recorded in Oro Ago from ailments suspected to be lassa fever.

“Whereas his counterpart in neighbouring Kogi State had promptly responded to a similar outbreak of lassa fever by addressing a press conference, the Kwara Health Commissioner had few days ago chosen to disregard the alarm raised by the Oro Ago community. A responsible public officer would first send a fact finding mission to the affected community instead of making unwarranted insinuations.

“It is shameful that government officials saddled with a vital aspect of governance as health care will sit in their air conditioned office and castigate a whole taxpaying community that has been denied even basic amenity as n health centre.

“Now that the Kwara State Commissioner for Health has eaten the humble pie by admitting the outbreak of lassa fever in the state, we urge the government to do the needful before mire unnecessary deaths are recorded in Oro Ago and Ifelodun local council, the home if Governor Fatah Ahmed.”