- FG should bring back health inspectors – NMA
Following the killing of nine persons by Lassa fever in Ondo and the recording of a total of 102 cases of the epidemic in eight local government areas of the state, medical experts have warned that over two million residents of the state risk contracting the deadly disease, if proper monitoring measures are not put in place.
According to reports, the outbreak of the disease in the state was first detected at the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, when a victim who came from Edo State went to the hospital to treat malaria, but was discovered, after a blood test, to have contacted the deadly disease.
Among the local government areas, where the outbreak has been recorded, are: Akure South, Akure North, Owo, Ose, and Akoko Southwest with laboratory results received for 79 of the cases while others are still being expected. About 127 hospital and 308 community contacts were also listed in the affected local government areas and only 30 have completed their follow up.
A medical practitioner at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile Ife, Osun State, Dr. Ifeniyi Adeola, noted that since about 80 per cent of the people infected with the Lassa virus had no symptoms, it posed a great risk as infected persons would have been severely affected before detection.
“If proper infection prevention, monitoring and surveillance is not adequately beefed up, the disease may spread fast to other neighbouring towns; coupled with the recent declaration by the World Health Organisation that 1 in 5 infections result in severe disease, where the virus affects several organs such as the liver, spleen and kidneys,” he said.
Adeola noted that the disease was a highly contagious disease such that humans became infected from contact with infected animals.
“The animal host of Lassa virus is a rat infected with Lassa virus and they do not become ill, but they can shed the virus in their urine and faeces. Because the clinical course of the disease is so variable, detection of the disease in affected patients has been difficult. So, when the presence of the disease is confirmed in a community, however, prompt isolation of affected patients, good infection prevention and control practices, and rigorous contact tracing can stop outbreaks,” he said.
A bio-medical laboratory expert at Goldswiss Hospital, Festac Town, Lagos, Mr. Uche Onuoha, noted that the incubation period of Lassa fever ranges from six to 21 days with the onset symptom gradually starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise. After a few days, he said, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, and abdominal pain might follow all these symptoms, similar to other flu infections.
Onuoha added that since Lassa fever occurs in all age groups and both sexes, people should endeavour to maintain a strong hygiene routine, especially with food intake.
“People that are at greatest risk are those living in rural areas, where rodents are more usually found, especially in communities with poor sanitation or crowded living conditions and also health workers are at risk, if caring for Lassa fever patients in the absence of proper barrier nursing and treatment practices,” he said.
Reacting to the development, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Mike Ogirinma, said the association had cried out to the Federal Government over the outbreak of the disease, stressing that the NMA had been the worst hit in terms of number of casualties.
Ogirinma said, “In the health sector alone, we lost about four members of medical staff all over the country; three of them are doctors. We have been advocating that government should provide preventive measures. This is not the time to blame anybody, if measures were bare on the ground, measures like maintaining good personal hygiene, good environmental health and cleanliness in all aspects.
“Many years back, there were health inspectors across the states in charge of health and environmental monitoring; if it means bringing them back so that all these infections and epidemics will be minimised, this is our cry. We have been advocating, public health officials are there, the Federal Government should engage them.”
The NMA president added that though the various state governments had been responding to the outbreak of the epidemic, their actions lacked coordination.
“There should be a coordination, there should be a grand commander directing the state of health affairs and that is why the association, all the while, has been asking for a position of a surgeon-general, who will be in charge of technicalities such that when things are getting worse, he will alert (everyone). He is like the field marshal of medical care. The Federal Government should put proper medical measures in place and not politicise medical issues.” he said.
