No Lassa fever outbreak in Lokoja, says Kogi govt
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has commenced an investigation into a strange illness identified in parts of Sokoto State.
Already, the centre has deployed National Rapid Response Team to work with the Sokoto Ministry of Health to respond to the incident.
Speaking with journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, Director-General of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, said the agency was notified by the state’s Ministry of Health on March 21, 2024, of reported cases of children presenting with symptoms, including abdominal distension due to rapid onset of fluids in the abdomen, fever, vomiting and weight loss from Isa Local Council.
He noted that most of the cases were children aged four to 13 years and some adults from different settlements across the state.
According to Idris, so far, 164 suspected cases have been identified. Isa Bargaja has 22, Isa North (17), Isa South (98), Tozai (12), Tsabre (four) and Turba (11). Four deaths have been recorded from the suspected cases, he added.
Idris noted that a similar incident was documented in 2023, without a definitive diagnosis, stressing that the centre was drafting National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRID) laboratories to ensure a thorough investigation of the case.
On the Kogi incident, Idris said they were testing for other causes of the student’s death, such as yellow and dengue fever.
He commended the Kogi government for taking charge of the situation, adding that the “NCDC is supporting the state’s capabilities to begin to respond effectively to outbreaks.”
MEANWHILE,the Kogi State government has declared zero cases of Lassa fever within its boundaries in the last four weeks, contrary to media reports.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adeiza, clarified this, late Monday night, in Lokoja, while reacting to a viral video of a suspected Lassa fever case in the state.
Adeiza said the suspected case of a student (now the late), who was admitted to a hospital in Lokoja, did not die of Lassa fever.
According to the commissioner, the social media had reported that the student died of haemorrhagic fever and that people, who encountered him had been isolated.
The Commissioner explained that the deceased student presented complaints of fever and bleeding from the gum.
He explained that the patient was being investigated and managed, while a sample was taken and sent to NCDC, Abuja, but before the result was released, he had lost his life.
Maintaining that there had been no recent outbreak in Kogi and other parts of the country in the last few weeks, Adeiza added: “The suspected case has turned out to be negative for Lassa fever. It is not only Lassa fever that can make a patient to bleed from the gum.”
Other reasons, he noted, could include blood dyscrasias and bleeding disorders.
He, therefore, advised members of the public to disregard the report, as no case of Lassa fever was reported in the state.
