No fewer than four persons, including two pregnant women, have been reported dead from suspected cases of Lassa fever in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, raising fresh public health concerns in the community.
Findings on Wednesday revealed that following the deaths, the General Hospital in Awe was shut down, while health workers, including the Medical Superintendent, were placed in isolation as a precautionary measure.
The Disease Surveillance Officer in the area, Ahmad Abdullahi, said anxiety heightened after a woman was brought to a health facility in Awe with symptoms suspected to be Lassa fever but died shortly before she could receive medical attention.
He explained that a few days later, the woman’s husband also died after presenting similar symptoms.
Abdullahi identified poor handling of suspected cases as a major challenge in containing disease outbreaks in the state. He added that some patients referred to Lafia for isolation reportedly escaped before laboratory confirmation.
“None of the disease surveillance officers across the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State has been provided with motorcycles by the government, which is affecting prompt response to remote areas,” he said.
He further disclosed that although the state government sent an ambulance to Awe to convey six suspected cases to Lafia for isolation, the patients were allegedly allowed to escape even before their laboratory test results were released.
Also speaking, a nurse at the General Hospital, Awe, Ovey Polycarp, called for the urgent provision of protective kits for health workers to prevent further spread of the disease.
“The two women were brought to the hospital almost at the same time with symptoms resembling malaria, but their conditions deteriorated to bleeding and haemorrhage, which led to their deaths,” she said.
“We are living in fear because we do not have protective equipment to manage the outbreak,” Polycarp added.
Reacting to the development, the Director of Public Health at the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, Dr Peter Attah, said only one confirmed case of Lassa fever had been recorded in Awe LGA.
According to him, the confirmed patient died before the laboratory test result was released.
Meanwhile, fumigation is currently ongoing at the General Hospital in Awe as part of measures to prevent the spread of the disease to neighbouring communities.
