Lassa Fever: 6 Feared Dead in Bauchi

The Bauchi state commissioner for health, Dr Halima Mukadda, has said that six people have died from the Lassa fever outbreak in the state.

While disclosing that preparations are made to set up a laboratory to ease the difficulties in diagnosing the dreaded disease, she said the  state government has procured post exposure equipment to protect  the  staff  from getting infected by  the disease in addition to  also procuring medication  to assist in the management of patients, adding that six suspected cases were tested and the  result was negative.

“We have put in place various preventive measures such as  sensitizing  various communities to create awareness on how to prevent lassa fever,  the state’s rapid response team  monitors cases.

“We have identified an establishment in liaison with the federal  government to set up a diagnostic centre in the state so that we don’t  have to be sending our specimen to Iruwa Specialist so that we can  access results within hours considering the gravity of the disease,”she explained.

Head of the centre, Dr Abdurrahman Tahir, lamented that the fever has been a recurring  problem in the state  adding that the mortality  rate this time around was high. He pleaded with the state government to erect a diagnostic centre in the state in other to reduce the dangers posted to staff.