Delta urges sensitisation as Lassa fever kills two

The Delta State Government on Friday confirmed two deaths following the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.

The state commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojaeme, who confirmed this in Asaba while speaking to journalists listed the affected local government areas where the cases were recorded as Okpe, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, and Ndokwa East council areas.

He said, “Emergency Operation Centres have been set up across the state to monitor the situation and ensure residents are aware of what is going on.

“In week 12, we have four confirmed cases so far recorded with a fatality rate of 50 per cent though the general fatality rate for Lassa fever is 1 – 15 per cent so we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that we curtail the transmission from patient to health workers and from patients to relatives.

“We are working closely with Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo State, and have been able to achieve less than 24 hours of getting test results on Lassa fever as against what was commonly obtainable which was within the range of 72 hours.”

He advised residents to keep their environment clean always and ensure that rats do not breed in or around homes.

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