LASA FEVER: Edo Govt Gives Marching Order To Health Officials

LASA FEVER: Edo Govt Gives Marching Order To Health Officials

Source: Kelvin Okereafor (Nigerian Observer)


Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu has given marching order to health officials in the state to move fast and check the spread of Lassa Fever outbreak across the local governments. The Deputy Governor gave the order at a tripartite meeting in his office in Benin on Thursday. At the meeting were World Health Organization officials in the state led by Mrs Faith Ireye, officials from the state ministry of health led by the Commissioner, Dr Partrick Okundia and some officials from Government House.

In his brief, the health Commissioner said 175 cases have so far been record across the state since December 2019 with eight death, adding that some of the patients have been treated and discharged from the hospitals. According to Okundia, the worst hit local government areas are Etsako West, Esan South West, Esan North East, Esan South East, Ovia North East and parts of Etsako East. He however said that the ministry was working round the clock, mobilizing human and material resources to check the spread of the deadly virus. ” We have intencified efforts on surveillance and contact tracing across 13 local government areas. Some of our officials have been going round sensitizing and educating the people” he emphasized.

In his response, the visibly angry Deputy Governor wondered why the health official had to wait for the outbreak before reacting, especially given the casualty figure. ” This fire bridge approach to issues, especially health matters must stop”, he fumed. He went further, ” I expected you people to be proactive on issues like these. You have the calendar and you know the period of the year when some of these deadly diseases break and cause havoc, you should have prepared for it and check it instead of reacting now”. He told the officials to put their request before government on what they require to check the spread.

He immediately called for an emergency meeting of officials from Health, Environment and Agriculture ministries with WHO to strategize on how to check the further spread in the state. He also ordered that an ambulance be released purely for the use of Lassa fever related cases only, warning that it must be strictly use for that purpose.

Edo is regarded as one of the endemic states for Lassa fever in Nigeria. Sharing borders with Kogi, Ondo and Delta. However, the figure of 175 so far recorded this year is the highest in recent years. The first outbreak in the state was recorded December at the close of 2019, since then, the figure has risen to hit the latest of 175.