Ebun Francis || Another doctor attached to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has tested positive for the Lassa fever virus.
The new patient, a female is one of the six doctors that treated the index case earlier in the month.
The Chief Medical Director of LUTH on Sunday said she had commenced treatment and is expected to recover quickly.
The latest development brings to four the number of doctors that have come down with the virus. The three others earlier affected are already certified fit and discharged.
The CMD also said that most of the individuals under observation have been cleared after the period of observation.
He said: “Seventy of the contacts being followed up have also been let off, having completed their period of observation.”
According to him, over 400 workers of the hospital attended a “special workshop” on viral haemorrhagic fever last Wednesday, during which various aspects of the contagious ailment were discussed.
The importance of a high index of suspicion; early diagnosis and referral were highlighted to medical workers who were also enjoined to observe universal precautions while attending to any patient who may be suspected of having Lassa fever, Bode said.
“There is a fully equipped response squad available round the clock to assess and take over the management of any suspected cases in the hospital,” he said.
He added that various meetings have been held with doctors and other members of staff to reinforce these messages. Training have also been conducted and are ongoing for staff at the forefront of patients’ care.
According to him, “Both the Federal Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Ministry of Health have supported LUTH with the provision of more drugs and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), follow-up services and decontamination. Freehand sanitisers have been deployed to various wards. An NGO (Ebola Containment Trust Fund) has provided 10 telephones and airtime for the use of our Lassa Fever Response Team in LUTH.
“The team has been beefed up by several volunteer staff who are working assiduously to overcome this dreaded disease and we are optimistic, buoyed by the successful discharge of those three doctors who had earlier tested positive. An internal enquiry has been set up to audit possible breaches in established service protocols and any other reasons that resulted in the hospital personnel getting infected.”