At the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owo, Ondo State, a case of Lassa fever was detected when blood tests were conducted on a patient from neighbouring Edo state who sought malaria treatment.
Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, confirmed the development and said that there was no cause for alarm as the government had already taken necessary steps to prevent the spread of the disease.
“It is expected, we have already said it, that is why we are proactive about it to ensure that if anybody has symptom and sign of Lassa fever, we will be able to quickly detect and then curtail it.
“Also, there would be active surveillance, where we look around to see if anybody has been infected. Already contact tracing has begun on this one,” he said.
Adeyanju explained that the case was a suspected case at the FMC, Owo and that the victim had a fever and other symptoms that suggested that it was a Lassa fever case.
The commissioner said the doctor took the blood sample of the victim and referred it to Irrua Specialists’ Hospital in Edo State, noting that it was the hospital that diagnosed and confirmed it.
The commissioner, who expressed assurance that the disease would not spread in the state, also confirmed that the victim had been transferred to Irrua Specialists’ Hospital for adequate treatment.
