Ebonyi Plans Lassa Fever Lab

From Left: Senator Ifeanyi Ararume: Former Governor Old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, Apc chairman, Enugu State, Dr Ben Nwoye and Apc South-East National Vice Chairman, Chief Emma Enukwu, at the Apc South-East Zonal Executive Committee meeting in Enugu last Sunday

The Ebonyi Government
says it will build a laboratory, procure four dialysis machines and four ambulances to improve surveillance and treatment of Lassa fever in the state.
The Governor, Chief Dave Umahi, said this during an interactive session with State House correspondents after paying a thank-you visit to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House.
He said the measures were aimed at saving the lives of citizens of the state and its neighbours.
Umahi said that the Lassa fever screening centre in Edo was far from the state, hence the need to set up similar facility in the state.
“We decided to do the following as a state to help our people.
“One, is to establish a laboratory and we purchased all the equipment that is needed; in addition, we also purchased about four dialysis machines and four ambulances.
“Apart from the laboratory, we are also building infrastructure to warehouse it, we are also building a mini clinic, an isolated clinic to house all suspected cases of lassa fever.
“The ones that are being suspected, we house them in certain sections of the clinic and those whose cases have been confirmed and are undergoing treatment will be in another section.
“Now, the essence of the ambulance is to give three ambulances to three senatorial zones whereby we have designated centres so that somebody that is suspected of lassa fever shouldn’t just go to any primary health centre or to any hospital but should go to the particular centre.
“And the person (patient) is kind of quarantined in a small clinic and from there the person will be transported to the centre.
“These are the measures that we have adopted and in the next two weeks the clinic infrastructure will be fully ready.”
Umahi said that the first case of Lassa fever was reported in Ebonyi in 2005 and the then Governor, Dr Sam Egwu, did quite a lot of things that time to fight the disease.
He, however, said that from 2007 to the time he took over, not much was done by the successive administration which contributed to the upsurge.
The governor recalled that the Federal Government had earlier pledged to build a Lassa fever laboratory in the state.
“So, we found it very difficult as a state for every suspected case of Lassa fever to take the sample to Edo and they said the incubation period is six days.
“I want Federal Government to refund us when we finish.
“We cannot be playing with the lives of our people. I have to first of all save the lives of our people while I go and ask the Federal Government for refund.’’
He said that a laboratory in Ebonyi would benefit surrounding states as there was no existing lassa fever lab in the South East.