Suspected Lassa fever has claimed the lives of four people, including two pregnant women in Awe LGA of Nasarawa State.
Health workers, including the medical superintendent, have been isolated as a precautionary measure, while the general hospital in Awe has been shut down.
Malami Ahmad Yahuza Abdullah, a Disease Surveillance Officer explained that the outbreak started when a woman was brought to a health facility with symptoms suspected to be Lassa fever and died before receiving treatment, saying that her husband later died with similar symptoms.
According to Abdullahi, “Poor handling of suspected cases and lack of motorcycles for surveillance officers are major challenges.”
He said that none of the Disease Surveillance Officers across the 13 LGAs of Nasarawa State has been provided with motorcycles by the government, which he alleged is affecting prompt response to remote areas.
He explained that the state government sent an ambulance to Awe to convey six suspected cases for isolation in Lafia, saying that they were allowed to escape even before the laboratory test results were released.
Health workers called for protective equipment to manage the outbreak, saying that a nurse at the Awe General Hospital stated that two women were brought to the hospital almost at the same time with symptoms resembling malaria. He said their conditions deteriorated to bleeding and hemorrhage, which led to their deaths.
The health workers are said to be living in fear because they do not have protective equipment to manage the outbreak.Â
The Director of Public Health at the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, Dr Peter Attah, said that only one case of Lassa fever was recorded in Awe, saying the patient died before the laboratory results were released.
