The Ogun State Government says no one has died in the state as a result of a Lassa Fever infection.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said although a Lassa Fever case was confirmed by the Ogun State Virology Laboratory on January 24, 2020, the patient is not dead.
The Public Relations Office of the hospital, Segun Orisajo, had earlier told Channels Television that the victim, a 26-year-old who had been diagnosed with the fever, had died.
But Coker explained that the patient, is a pregnant 29-year-old and she was first referred to the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Abeokuta.
Thereafter, she was transferred to the Federal Specialist Hospital in Irua, Edo State because according to the doctors, the facilities there would provide her with the full benefits of multidisciplinary care required.
Meanwhile, Coker further stated that the Rapid Response Team has commenced line listing of all who have come into contact with the patient for surveillance purposes, including her relatives and hospital staff that managed the case.
She also assured members of the public that the state government acted proactively by putting all counter measures in place to contain the situation.
Urging residents to maintain proper hygiene, she stated that members of the public should avoid contact with rodents.
One of the ways to do that according to her could be by covering their food properly and also ensuring that food is properly heated before eating it.
“We have given thermometers to those who have been in contact with the patient to monitor their temperatures and also provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the designated treatment center at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.
“Our health educators and officers have been deployed into action and are educating the public on ways to avoid being infected with Lassa Fever.
“Other emerging or suspected cases of viral hemorrhagic fevers are to be isolated in the designated quarantine areas for barriers nursing until a definitive diagnosis is concluded,” the statement read.