Ebonyi State government yesterday ordered immediate closure of St. Vincent Hospital Ndubia in Igbegu Izzi in Izzi  local government area of the state following reported deaths and increasing  spread of Lassa fever at the health facility.

Saturday Sun gathered that out of over 10 Lassa fever patients reportedly admitted at the hospital, no fewer than 5 had died as at Thursday 26 December.

A staff of the hospital who pleaded anonymity told Saturday Sun that the hospital had been battling to manage the development until the latest death of one  Ogaranya  Ephriam which made the hospital to contact the state ministry of health.

The victim’s sister  Ogaranya  Uchechi , who was attending to her brother before his death and many other patients have been moved to the Virology Centre, located at Alex Ekwueme- Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, AE-FUTHA 2, for medical treatment.

The development has caused panic and fear in the whole Izzi local government area , prompting the governor of the state, Dave Umahi, to order the closure of the mission hospital to curtain further spread of the virus. The order is contained in a statement issued on Friday in Abakaliki  by Mr Francis Nwaze, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media.

Umahi also said that all the staff and patients of the hospital should submit themselves to the Virology Centre at Abakaliki for comprehensive medical examinations.

The governor also said that all the family members and close relatives of the patients and staff of St. Vincent  Hospital  be quarantined at the South-East Virology Centre, for close medical observation.

Umahi assured residents that the state government through  its Ministry of Health would contain the spread of the disease and urged the public not to panic.

“Gov. Dave Umahi has directed that the Ministry of Health under the watch of Dr Daniel Umezurike, Commissioner for Health, in conjunction with the staff of Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, to immediately address all issues relating to the Lassa fever outbreak.

“The engagement should include a comprehensive examination of all suspects and the clean-up of St. Vincent Hospital. It should also include the placement of precautionary announcements in all media houses in the state on the preventive measures of Lassa fever.’’

The statement said that the governor also directed that progress reports on the above directives should be reaching him every two hours.

Lassa fever has become an annual occurrence in many states in Nigeria.

In 2018, a total of 3,498 suspected cases were reported from 23 states.

Of these, 633 were confirmed positive, 20 probable and 2853 negative (not a case).

Also in 2018, 171 deaths among the confirmed cases and 20 probable cases were reported making the case fatality rate in confirmed cases as high as 27 per cent.

Though the disease was more prevalent in Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi states, 20 other states recorded at least one confirmed case across 93 LGAs.

“Since the Lassa fever outbreak in 2018, NCDC has worked with states to ensure better preparedness and improved response. In the last one year, guidelines have been revised, new data management tools have been developed and the laboratory network has been strengthened. Additionally, risk communications has been strengthened through radio, posters, flyers and social media,” the NCDC said then.

“A national research plan has been developed, to enable its full integration into the outbreak response to gain a better understanding of the disease”, NCDC said.

Source:- Sunnewsonline.

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