Lassa Fever: Ministry Intensifies LGAs Campaigns

As part of efforts to
eradicate Lassa fever in Rivers State, the Rivers State Ministry of Health through the Primary Health Care Management Board (PHCMB), has intensified its local governments’ sensitization campaigns with the aim of ensuring that those at the rural areas are properly educated on the preventive measures of the disease.
Speaking at the sensitization campaign at Oyigbo Okrika and Ogu/Bolo local government areas, Monday, the Permanent Secretary, PHCMB, Dr Agiriye Harry, noted that with the settings and terrains of most of the rural areas, the people may not have adequate knowledge of the ravaging disease and stressed the need for the campaign in order for them not to fall victims of the disease.
Harry who urged the people of the areas to take the sensitization lectures seriously said such act would place them on the ladder of personal hygiene and consciousness of disease thereby keeping them away from every wave of disease including the Lassa fever.
He said “the aim of this sensitization programme is to make sure that all of you at the rural areas are equipped with the proper knowledge and education on how to prevent this disease and so it is important that you all take the lectures seriously and the message home to others that are not present here”.
While urging the people to avoid self-medication, the Permanent Secretary stressed the need for them to report any lassa fever related symptom to the nearest health facility. He further called on healthcare givers to refer case of persistent high fever that proves resistant to proper malaria treatement by calling the lassa fever emergency numbers for further medical attention.
Delivering his lectures on the origin, mode of transmission, prevention and treatment of the disease, the Director, Disease Control Services PHCMB, Dr Roland Obed-Whyte urged the people to exibit and maintain proper personal hygiene and environmental  sanity in order to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Some of us do eat rats. This rodent is the carrier of the lassa fever virus and so we  need to stop eating rats so that we don’t contact the disease. We also need to put our foods and food stuffs in well covered containers that cannot be assessed by rats. We also need to keep our bodies and environment clean. By these, we will be able to curtail the disease and its spread.”
Responding, the care Taker Chairmen of the local government areas in their separate speeches lauded the state government for the apt response by sending health experts to educate them on the control measures of the lassa fever disease and promised to take the message to every nook and cranny of their various LGAs.
It would be noted that the state Ministry of Health through the  Primary Health Care Management Board is poised to cover the 23 LGAs of the state within the shortest possible time as to keep every citizen and resident of the state abreast of the knowledge and preventive measures of the ravaging Heamorrhagic fever.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu

Head of Department of Environmental Health and Safety, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Mr Ajueyitsi Simeon, Assistant Director, Public and Environmental Safety, Mrs Kate Ogbonna, Higher Environmental Health Officer, Mrs Rachael Omenta, and Inspector of Schools in FCT, Mr James Akaito, at the Lassa Fever sensitisation meeting in Abuja last Friday.