The Federal Government will carry out investigations into why there was no report made by Niger State government six months after the outbreak of Lassa fever in the area.
The government also said that laboratory analysis of two suspected cases of the disease reported in Rivers State had tested negative.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who stated this in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, also clarified why there was no restriction of movement, unlike when there was an outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in the country.
He said, “We have not lost anybody in the last 48 hours, so that is good news. We have two suspected cases in Rivers State but they are negative. The result came out last (Friday) night and that is good. The only one that we want to actually investigate is Niger State because in Niger State, the case of Lassa fever has been on since August (2015), without anybody notifying us. So, we want to find out why they did not notify us.”
But the Niger State government said that the “situation is under control”.
The Commissioner for Health and Hospital service Dr. Mustapha Jibril said, “I wish to allay the fears of our people on the reported case of breakout of Lassa fever in three communities in Fuka ward of Muyan Local Government area of the state. The state government has taken steps to contain the disease and its spread.”
Similarly, Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kuden Kamshak, said that there was no more death following the report of Lassa outbreak in Jos.
Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi in Benue State, Dr. Peteru Inunduh, on Saturday said that there was no case of the fever in the hospital. Also, the Benue State University Teaching Hospital said it had yet to record any case of fever.
Ondo state government said it had begun border surveillance and sensitisation for the people of the state against the outbreak of the deadly fever in the state.
The state health commissioner, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju told our correspondent in Akure that the government would do its best in ensuring that no case of the deadly fever was recorded in the state despite having one of the local governments prone to the viral Illness.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said there was no reported case of Lassa fever in the state.
He stated that even though there was no case of fever in the state, the government never lost sleep against any eventuality of the fever.
He said, “There is no case of Lassa fever in Akwa Ibom State, we are nevertheless prepared for any eventuality.”