The Ondo State Government has given marching orders to relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) to take proactive measures that would rid the state of the recent outbreak of Lassa Fever.
The state Head of Service(HoS), Bayo Philip, gave the charge while receiving a team of the National Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) and relevant state MDAs in his office in Akure, on Thursday.
A statement by Mr Sina Adeyeye, Director Information, Office of the HoS, made available to Thefrontrank, said Philip disclosed that the issue of the fight against the scourge had featured in all recent meetings of the State Executive Council.
The Head of Service stressed the commitment of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to winning the fight against Lassa Fever and other diseases in the state.
He, therefore, called on the state Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment, as well as other relevant MDAs to, as a matter of urgency come up with proactive measures to stem the tide of the yearly reoccurrence of Lassa Fever in the state
“I expect concerned Permanent Secretaries will come up with what needs to be done as immediate measure and what we must do to sustain this year-in-year-out. Is it in terms of drug supply, in terms of collaboration, in terms of public enlightenment and education, or in terms of environmental cleanness?
“All these must be integrated and everyone must do his or her part to achieve success in the fight against the disease,” he said.
The Head of Service also charged the team to get private health facilities practitioners involved so that they would know where their efforts stop and when to refer patients for treatment in appropriate facilities across the state.
Noting that the unhygienic display of food items accounted for most reported cases of Lassa Fever, Philip called on Traditional and Religious leaders to join hands with the government to ensure residents adhere to the hygienic handling of food items to be consumed by the people.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Foluke Tunde-Daramola, who led the delegation, said the synergy with the NCDC was informed by the recent prevalence of Lassa Fever in the state and the urgent need to address it.
According to her, relevant state MDAs such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Environment will be working with the NCDC team.
Also, in her comments, the leader of the NCDC team, Dr Olubunmi Olopha, said that the Centre had deployed a team of experts to provide the necessary support to the state in the face of the Lassa Fever outbreak.
According to her, not less than 90 out of about 200 suspected cases have been confirmed since the reported outbreak in the state which necessitated the synergy between NCDC and the state government to combat the scourge frontally.
She urged healthcare providers to desist from delaying in referring suspected cases to appropriate facilities within the state as this would reduce deaths resulting from the disease.
