IRRUA-As the Lassa Fever outbreak spreads to more states in Nigeria, the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua-Edo State, the only centre for diagnosis and treatment of the virus, has assured of its preparedness to tackle the epidemic.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Dr. Sylvanus Okogbenin disclosed to The Nigerian Observer that the hospital has prepared a team to be deployed to others states when demanded.
Okogbenin equally stated that the hospital was ready to accept patients from any hospital or individual into its isolation ward, revealing that the hospital has received treatment drug-Ribavirin and protective jackets from the federal ministry of health.
“We are ready to accept into our Isolation Ward any patient from any hospital or individual. Our state of preparedness is very high. We have a team prepared, should they need us in other states. We have considerable experience in viral hemorrhagic fever. As I speak with you, some of our staffs are still in Sierra-lone and Liberia helping to tackle ebola virus”, he said.
He disclosed that the hospital currently have two patients in the isolation ward, one from Ondo State, and the other from Edo North Senatorial District.
He equally revealed that the hospital has had 19 confirmed cases from November 2015 till date, adding that the number include blood samples sent from other states.
On the possibility of Lassa vaccine, the chief medical director disclosed that efforts were being made by the hospital’s foreign partners in Harvard University, but said it was still at very early stages.
He advised medical workers to develop high suspicion index, by sending blood samples of patients who present symptoms of Lassa fever or malaria/typhoid drug resistant fever to the hospital for test, which he said remains free for now.
He lamented that majority of the patients lost to Lassa fever were those brought to the hospital when their vital organs would have already be failing.
“Majority of patients who we lost to Lassa usually die less than 24 hours after they are brought to the hospital. That shows that the diseases is already advanced and a lot of damages have already been done to the organs. Salvaging such individuals is usually difficult.
“We often say the health workers that patients first report to must have high suspicion index. When you are treating malaria or typhoid and the patients is not responding they should quickly send the patients blood sample for Lassa test. The test is free of charge for now” he advised.
The director of ;the Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Dr. Danny Asogun revealed that three deaths had been recorded at the institute since November, the number which he said excluded those who died of the disease at the normal wards.
He advised the public to take heed of common measures to avert Lassa fever, which he said include keeping foodstuff away from rats, just as he appealed to government to support workshops or other programmes geared towards sensitizing the rural populace against the disease.
“The public should take heed to the common measures to avert Lassa virus, which is to make sure they keep food stuff away from rats, avoid burning bush around the houses.
“Children should avoid consuming rats because they could be contaminated with the blood during preparation. Women should endeavour to rinse their plates in the morning before use because rats may have played around them”, he advised.
