The Kano State government has confirmed four cases of Lassa Fever outbreak in the state, with the index case dead.
Besides, 20 health workers of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), who were said to have had contact with the index case, have been directed to proceed on isolation after their blood samples were collected for testing.
An official of the hospital had earlier confirmed the isolated case of a 22-year-old pregnant woman who died a few minutes after her arrival at the hospital. The suspect was brought from Garun-Mallam and was said to have been infected with the deadly infection.
The official disclosed that the emergency situation has compelled immediate response efforts of the management to commence contact tracing and precautionary screening of hospital staff and patients.
Responding to The Guardian’s inquiry on the development, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, told our correspondent via WhatsApp message that the state CDC has mobilised the Rapid Response Team to curtail the situation.
He said, “We have assessed the situation. Only one person was confirmed, and we lost the other person. Three others are being monitored despite being negative in lab results.
“And we are line listing contacts. Antivirals, PPEs, and thermometers have been delivered to AKTH. Twenty samples have been taken from AKTH staff and all have been asked to self-isolate. They were all given Rivavirin.
“Our Rapid Response Team was at Kura General Hospital too. We have line-listed all contacts and are being monitored for any signs and symptoms. They will be observed for two weeks. The primary contact of the woman at Garun Mallam has been isolated and given Rivavirin. His sample has been taken. Results expected tomorrow.”
Similarly, a reliable source at AKTH hinted that the hospital management has launched emergency protocols, including screening of all individuals who may have had contact with the patient, including the medical personnel and those with reported cases of mild symptoms similar to malaria.
He added that some of the contacts of the confirmed case also reported symptoms that resemble malaria, which can mimic early signs of Lassa fever.
Nigeria has experienced significant cases of Lassa fever in the last four months, with 3,465 suspected cases and 645 confirmed cases reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
This resulted in 118 deaths, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.8% in 91 Local Government Areas across 33 states.
