WHEN the Ebola Virus Disease was smuggled into Nigeria in 2014 by the “Bio Terrorist,” Patrick Sawyer from Liberia, the Federal Government in conjunction with the Lagos State Government did an excellent job to curtail the spread of the ailment.
It will be pertinent to also commend all the citizens of this country, for rising in unison to contain the problem of Ebola without unnecessarily politicizing the issue or giving it any religious or ethnic colouring.
Expectedly that noble and sane deed earned Nigeria and Nigerians a well deserved encomium from all parts of the globe, including the United Nations Organization.
Paradoxically, just like the game of football, Ebola succeeded in bringing the citizens together as one while it lasted.
Now, we have a similar challenge at hand with the outbreak of Lassa fever. This dreaded virus, though not alien to us, is now a major concern for every Nigerian citizen across the country. As at 20 January, the Federal Government has confirmed 212 suspected cases of Lassa fever in 64 Local Government Areas across the country, while seventy six (76) lives have been lost. Nine (9) of them from Edo State which is one of the real hot spots. Other states in this category are Niger, Taraba, Kano, Nasarrawa, Plateau and Rivers.
Medical experts say that the Lassa Fever Virus is transmitted to humans by some species of rat when one consumes any food contaminated by them or have direct contact with their urine, blood or droppings. Curiously, the virus they say, does not harm the rat, rather it multiplies it.
Early symptoms of Lassa are similar to that of other types of fever like malaria and typhoid. Continuous bleeding through the ears and nostrils plus sore throat usually crop up later. Hence, the Chief Medical Director of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), lrrua, Edo State, Dr. Sylvanus Okogbenin advised medical workers to develop high suspicion index by sending blood samples of patients who present symptoms of Lassa fever or malaria/typhoid drug resistant to the hospital for test. Thankfully, the test remains free, for now. The ISTH, presently, is the only centre for diagnosis and treatment of the virus throughout the country.
However, it is consoling to hear that the Federal Government of Nigeria has taken some proactive measures to curtail the spread of Lassa fever in the country: It has delivered the cure for the ailment, a drug called Rabivine and protective jackets to the Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment, Irrua. The Federal Government has also released the sum of N140 million and set up an Inter-ministerial committee in the efforts to tackle the challenges posed by the disease believed to be highly contagious.
Another committee, made up of four experts, has also been put together to visit the states mostly affected by the ailment. This committee is headed by the venerated Professor Michael Asuzu, a Professor of Community Medicine and President, Society of Public Health Practitioners of Nigeria. The Federal Minster of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole asserted that the only thing to do in other not to drag Nigeria to shame is to stamp out Lassa fever.
Dr. Sylvanus Okogbenin also hinted the possibility of Lassa fever vaccine, disclosing that efforts were being made by the hospital’s foreign partners in Harvard University, albeit in the early stage.
Although there has been an aggressive sensitization campaign in the mass media to alert the citizens about Lassa fever and the precautionary measures to take to nip the menace, investigation reveals that enough is not being done to carry the rural populace along, it is, therefore, suggested that health workers should be deployed to our different villages to educate the rural dwellers. It will be wise to employ the use of local languages and pidgin to get across to these rural folks. The languages should not just be limited to Yoruba, Hausa and Ibo as done in the past.
In a country with a population of over 170 million citizens, just one centre for diagnosis and treatment is grossly inadequate, to say the least. This will not be enough to contain the huge health challenge we are currently battling. As a matter of urgency, more centers should be established without delay; if possible, at least one for each local government area across the federation, especially in states highly hit by the Lassa scourge.
To heed the advice of the Director of the Institute, Lassa Fever Research and Control, Dr. Danny Asogun, government should support workshops or other programmes geared towards sensitizing the rural populace. More than any other thing, the public must be made to realize the importance of personal and environmental hygiene.
On the part of the people, they should promptly report any suspected case of the disease to medical workers at the nearest hospital to them. This is imperative because medical experts say that when the disease is already advanced, and a lot of damage has been done to the organs, salvaging the life of the patient is usually very difficult. Reports from Irrua state that majority of patients lost to Lassa usually die less than 24 hours after they were brought to the hospital.
According to Dr. Danny Asogun, the public should take heed to common measures of averting the virus by making sure they keep foodstuffs away from rats and avoid burning bush around the houses.
Children, especially in the rural areas, should avoid consuming rats because they could be contaminated with the blood during preparation. Women are also expected to rinse their plates every morning before use because rats may have touched them the previous night.
People living in urban areas must ensure that refuse are not left to pile around their neighborhoods or spill out of their bins. Everywhere must be clean. Cleanliness, after all, is Godliness.
