…Govt confirms 250 suspected cases, 45 positive cases

At least ten health workers in Benue State have been confirmed dead as a result of Lassa Fever, just as over 250 suspected cases have been recorded and 45 confirmed positive.

The Benue State Government made this disclosure on Monday in a press statement made available to newsmen in Makurdi, the state capital.

Benue State Epidemiologist, Dr Msuega Asema and the State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ejeh-Ogwuche, undertook an on-the-spot assessment visit to the isolation centres at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) and Federal Medical Centre Apir.

Confirming the development, Dr Asema stated that the figures involve a huge number of health workers, which include five medical doctors, four nurses, two community extension workers and one hospital porter.

He lamented that there was a growing Lassa fever infection amongst health workers in the state.

Speaking at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Centre Apir, respectively, the Health Commissioner advised people of the state not to be threatened by the figures as the government was not resting on its oars to contain the disease outbreak.

He stated that he, alongside other critical stakeholders of the ministry, visited the hospitals to show their solidarity with the victims on admission and let them know that they are not alone, as the state government is fully behind them and doing everything possible to see that they recover and get back to their respective homes.

“We have also come here to assess the situation on ground. So far, five doctors and other health workers are involved in this infection. This is human-to-human transmission and the gap is infectious-prevention lapses. So, we have come to see how the centres are doing and how we can move ahead so that we can contain the outbreak of Lassa fever quickly in our state.

“The data has come up, it looks threatening, but I want to say that the state government under Governor Hyacinth Alia is fully committed and doing its best to ensure that this condition is contained as soon as possible. We have activated all the necessary measures to bring containment as much as possible. The State government is committed and ready, as all necessary resources are being mobilised to contain the disease,” the Commissioner stated.

He maintained that already, the ministry had deployed its surveillance officers across the 23 local government areas of the state to strengthen monitoring, contact tracing, and render community engagement towards curbing further spread of the virus.

The Chief Medical Director of Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Dr Stephen Hwande, enumerated measures taken to contain the outbreak, saying the hospital has evolved measures to contain the disease and enjoined residents to strictly adhere to infection prevention protocols.