Chioma Umeha
Following reported re-emergence of Lassa fever in
Ebonyi State, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Enugu State on Monday
inaugurated a 22-member committee
to tackle the fresh outbreak.
Inaugurating the committee, the state Chairman of
the association, Cajetan Onyedum, said the move was necessary to sensitise
residents of the state as well as health workers on the need to be vigilant and
take necessary action.
Onyedum expressed the concern of the members of
the association over the resurgence of the disease, which according to him, has
already recorded casualties.
“We got official information yesterday on the
death of two of our colleagues following confirmed outbreak of Lassa fever in
Ebonyi.
“This morning a nurse also died as a result of the
same disease while another colleague is in a critical condition.
“We thought it would be wise to set up this
committee due to the proximity between Enugu and Ebonyi in order to check the
incidences here,” he said.
Mr. Onyedum said members of the committee were selected
from key institutions in the state, adding that the committee would soon embark
on public enlightenment throughout the state.
“The reason for this is because when the disease
strikes it does not choose destination or whom to attack,” he said.
Responding, the Chairman of the committee, Uche
Unigwe, said that Nigerians could no longer deny the outbreak of Lassa fever.
Mr. Unigwe, an expert on infectious diseases, said
it was unfortunate that the disease had spread from the initial six states to
more than 20 in the country, adding that medical workers needed to be alive to
their responsibilities.
“This is an indigenous disease named after a
community in the country and we should do everything possible to contain it.
“The most important thing is to develop a high
index of suspicion so that medical workers can easily identify Lassa fever when
they look at patients and protect themselves,” he said.
He assured that the committee would embark on
aggressive sensitisation of residents, saying everything needed to be done to
reduce incidents of death as a result of the disease.
He said that medical doctors in the state had the
capacity to handle the disease if reported on time, cautioning the public to be
more careful in handling food items in their households.
Mr. Unigwe advised Nigerians to keep their
surroundings clean besides ensuring that rodents which are the primary carriers
of the disease do not get in contact with their food stuff.
On his part, the Chairman, Infection and Disease
Control Committee, Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Miriam
Chidobem-Ajuba, said that availability of funds was necessary to contain the
disease.
Mrs. Chidobem-Ajuba said that the cheering news
was that the state government had upgraded facilities at its health
institutions.
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