Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has called for an emergency National Council on Health meeting today, as part of efforts at containing the outbreak of Lassa fever.
The meeting will focus on how best to deal with the disease, which seems to be spreading fast.
Health commissioners and chief medical directors (CMDs)/medical directors (MDs) of tertiary health facilities are expected to attend the meeting at the Rotunda Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
About 50 persons have died of the killer-disease in the country since its outbreak in August 2015. As at the weekend, more than half of the country had experienced an outbreak of the disease.
The meeting, according to a statement by the ministry’s Director of Media/Public Relations, Mrs. Boade Akintola, will also witness the inauguration of the National Lassa Fever Action Committee.
The minister blamed the failure of early notification for the high mortality rate recorded by the country.
Prof. Adewole noted that it was failure of the notification system that made it impossible for the ministry to respond promptly to the situation in Niger State, reiterating that the Federal Government’s mission and mandate in the health sector was to keep Nigerians safe.
Also yesterday, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) called on government to improve response mechanism to ensure rapid response to disease outbreaks.
NARD’s President Dr. Muhammad Askira made the call at a news conference yesterday in Abuja.
Askira said the disease had claimed 43 lives in 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
He decried the emergency response arrangement set up by the government to tackle outbreaks of disease.
Askira said such outbreaks did not require ad hoc arrangements or committees, “rather, there should be a strategy to cushion the effect in any emergency or epidemic situation”.
According to him, astrategy would reduce the death toll arising from such cases.
He explained that there should be well structured strategies from the governments to ensure that prompt attention was given to such situations.
“There should be on ground well-structured strategic system from governments, from the primary health care level to tertiary health care, whereby the team is on alert for prompt and effective response to this type of epidemic.
“We should not wait until there is an outbreak before we start rushing to address the epidemic.
“This involves a lot of logistics, which comes from the society, health care providers and the government itself.
“It can be in the form of financing, appropriate equipment and facilities, well and adequately trained manpower to handle suspected and confirmed cases, and so on.
“So whenever these are not adequate or properly applied, we have pockets and periods of epidemic of this nature,’’ he said.
On the death toll being higher than the case of Ebola, Askira said the rodent transmitting the virus was endemic, while Ebola was imported to the country.
Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa yesterday appealed to Lagosians to keep their houses and surroundings clean and ensure they eat well-prepared food.
Obasa’s admonition came on the heels of the confirmation of a reported case of Lassa fever infection in the state.
The Speaker, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Musbau Rasak, urged Lagosians to remain calm since the state government has put its health workers on the alert.
He added that the state also possessed the medical institutions and equipment to tackle the disease.
Obasa urged doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to brace themselves for the challenge posed by the disease, noting that their swiftness in arresting the scourge would allay fears among the people.
Also yesterday, Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN) yesterday vowed to prevent spread of Lassa fever by ridding Lagos of rodents.
Its Lagos chapter President, Samuel Akingbehin, said the exercise would begin tomorrow.
The group said proactive and preventive actions were needed to be taken.
“It is scientifically proven that these rodents harbour the Lassa fever virus and spread it by their body fluids on foodstuffs and food items, surfaces, beddings, clothing, furniture etc,” it said.
The group said it would embark on daily environmental exercise on a “one local government per day basis with attention on markets, schools, and hospitals with a view to reducing rat infestation, thereby reducing the chances of Lassa fever spread in Lagos”.
In an effort to contain any outbreak of Lassa fever in Abia State, the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, has said it would start the construction of additional isolation centre to take care of patients.
During a sensitisation campaign organised by its Department of Community Medicine, Chief Medical Director Dr. Abali Chuku said the additional isolation centre was part of the hospital’s plans to handle such cases.
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