After a flare up of Lassa fever in Lagos ,

the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) confirmed that two patients treated have died within a few days of admission while 100 others are under surveillance .

Professor Chris Bode, the hospital’s chief medical director, who confirmed this explained that the two patients were at the advanced stage of the infection and that was why they died despite efforts to save their lives.

“The first was a 32-year-old pregnant lady with bleeding disorder who died after a stillbirth. Post-mortem examination had been conducted before her Lassa fever status was eventually suspected and confirmed. No less than 100 different hospital workers exposed to this index case are currently being monitored,” he said.

Bode also disclosed that a resident doctor from the Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology who took part in the autopsy was later confirmed with the disease and is currently on admission and responding well to treatment at the Isolation Ward of LUTH.

He added that another two other suspected cases from Lagos state are also presently admitted and quarantined while undergoing confirmatory laboratory tests.

Urging health workers to maintain a heightened level of alert and observe every precaution in handling suspected cases ,  he assured those affected of the  hospital’s full support.

“LUTH has always worked closely with officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health in handling a number of diseases of public importance such as rabies, cholera, Lassa fever and the recent diarrhoea disease at the Queen’s College”, Bode said.

” Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Health have responded swiftly to contain this present Lassa fever outbreak by mobilising human and material resources to trace the sources and extent of the disease, follow up on potential contacts, identify early and test suspected cases. There are adequate materials for containment of the disease while drugs have been made available to treat anyone confirmed with the disease. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Nigeria has also been contacted.”

Lassa fever is caused by the Lassa virus and is transmitted to humans from the faeces or urine of Mastomys rats or from humans to other humans via body fluids. Major symptoms of the disease include incessant haemorrhaging (bleeding) from multiples orifices in the body – ears, nose, eyes, definitely not a pretty sight.

The virus is spread through contact with food or household items contaminated with rats’ urine or faeces or after coming in direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

In case of any suspected case of Lassa fever, Bode urged the public to notify the response team in LUTH on 08058019466, 08058744780, 07035521015 and 08023299445 .

Meanwhile , the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for more public enlightenment and personal hygiene to prevent the spread of the disease.

Dr Olubunmi Omojowolo, a factional Chairman of NMA,  reacting to this development  said, “The most important thing now is education and hygiene.
I think in Nigeria, we take the issue of Lassa fever with levity, unlike the way we handled Ebola Virus.

“Both Ebola and Lassa fever are very close and fatal illnesses and what should be done is that people should be educated. There should be regular jingles on radio and other media in general.

“One of the problems is the rat that carries the virus around and so, people should make sure they cover their foods very well, clean their environments and prevent rats from entering their houses.

The NMA chairman said that the main challenge with the disease was the inability to diagnose early due to the peculiarity of the symptoms which were similar to malaria including fever.

“Contact tracing should also be done because the relations of the deceased should be traced and put on surveillance so that if any of them develop fever they can quickly get treatment.

“Also, the government should provide more places where patients can be treated as they need to be treated in isolation,“ Omojowolo said.