Lassa Fever: Don’t Panic, RSG Tells Residents

The Rivers State Ministry of Health has urged residents not to panic over recent breakout of Lassa fever in the country.
The Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr Nnanna Onyekwere, gave the assurance in an exclusive chat with The Tide, yesterday, at his office in Port Harcourt.
Onyekwere said that there was no report of any Lassa fever incidence for now, adding that the state government was prepared to tackle any breakout of the disease.
“Why we said that we are prepared is because the manpower, technical knowhow and the equipment are there. So, if it comes up, we will surely deal with it”.
He revealed that since last year, after a medical doctor lost his life in the process of caring for a patient, the state has been on alert over the menace of the disease.
The public health director explained that Lassa fever was indigenous to Nigeria, explaining that this was the reason for its regular occurrence in the country.
He, therefore, urged residents to be conscious of their environment, and raise their level of hygiene.
Among precautions he recommended to be taken include, avoidance of exposure to food, regular washing of hands and protection of houses and foods from rats.
He also urged residents to watch out for signs and symptoms such as fever, stoolling and vomiting of blood.
Onyekwere said, “one thing people should watch out is that Lassa fever has similar signs like malaria and typhoid but there are other signs. So, they should report any suspected case to any government hospital or clinic”.
Apart from Lassa, Onyekwere said the state was also ready to tackle diseases such as Cholera, Meningitis and other health challenges.