From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Kogi state commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Audu has called for federal government intervention over the outbreak of Lassa fever disease in the state which has claimed two lives at the moment.
The commissioner said that four cases of Lassa fever have been confirmed since the outbreak of the disease in the state this year.
Saka Audu, the state commissioner for health, disclosed this at a joint news conference on at the weekend in Lokoja on ‘flood, lassa and other epidemic prone diseases’.
Our Correspondent reports that the briefing was organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with the state ministry of health and other related ministries on public health to draw the federal government quick intervention as well as raise public awareness for prevention.
Represented by Ahmed Attah, the Special Adviser to the governor on health matters, Audu said that 10 suspected cases of Lassa fever were reported out of which four were positive.
He confirmed that two deaths were recorded among the four positive cases, while the other two were successfully treated.
He added that three of the four confirmed cases were from Ibaji local government area while one case was recorded in Ijumu local government area of the state.
The commissioner, therefore, advised residents to adopt all the necessary precautions to prevent the outbreak of the epidemic prone diseases in the state.
