Ebun Rancis || The Ogun State government said on Sunday that the number of people who had contact with a Lassa fever victim has increased from 66 to 106 as at the close of work last Friday.
The State Commissioner of Health Dr. Babatunde Ipaye made the disclosure to newsmen on Sunday at Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital.
It will be recalled that a 22-year-old male patient was admitted to the government hospital, Ijiaye, Abeokuta last Thursday with Lassa fever, a development that apparently caused unease in the state capital.
Ipaye has, however, urged residents of the state not to panic as the state government has put in place measures to contain the spread.
“You don’t take Lassa fever contacts to isolation centre, you only monitor their level of temperature. It’s unlike the Ebola disease where you take contacts to isolation centres.
“Initially we had 66 contacts when I briefed you on Friday. Between then and now, we have additional 40 contacts. So, now, we are monitoring 106 contacts.
“You will recall that we have not established the contacts that met him (the patient) during his travel to Lagos. All the 66 contacts are care-providers in all the hospitals that he is being treated. We also had to go to his house to decontaminate it. So, everybody that lives around there are primary contacts, one way or the other; just to play safe.
“We have to monitor their temperature for 21 days. That was what we did for over 1,800 people we followed up the other time. We had to monitor their temperature minimum of twice daily – morning and evening. And the contacts must come up to tell us the reading immediately. We have given all of them thermometers and we have taught them how to measure their temperature.
“So, when we call them they would tell us what the temperature was in the morning and the evening and they would do this for 21 days. If after 21 days there is no fever of any type, then that patient will be delisted from our contacts.”
The Lassa fever disease was first reported in neighbouring Lagos State earlier last week where two people died from the infection at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi- Araba.