Plateau Reports New Case Of Lassa Fever

A new lassa fever case has been confirmed by in Commissioner ‎for Health in Plateau state, Dr. Kuden Deyin on Tuesday.

According to Deyin, the patient was brought-in from Garkawa in Mikang Local Government Area and was already displaying symptoms of Lassa fever.

“After the blood sample was taken from the patient, the result came out positive and the patient is currently responding to treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

“The state has so far recorded four cases of Lassa fever and three out of the four patients are responding to treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital while one patient died,’’ he said.

He advised that everyone maintain a very high standard of personal hygiene and ensure that their environments are kept clean.

“Food stuff should be kept in rodent-proof containers and people should also desist from drying their food stuff on the highway, as they never can tell when rats will defecate or urinate on them.

“Health workers should be on the alert while private medical practitioners are advised not to keep patients who manifest symptoms of Lassa fever for long.

“Rather such patients should be referred to tertiary health institutions for prompt medical attention as time was of the essence in treating Lassa fever,’’ the commissioner said.