Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
To further curtail the spread and outbreak of Lassa Fever owing to the rising number of patients being referred to Irrua Specialists Teaching Hospital for treatment, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has ordered the immediate release of N100 million as first tranche payment for the procurement of four dialysis machines, ventilators, Personal Protective Equipment, drugs and other consumables required for the treatment of Lassa Fever patients.
The Lassa Fever Research and Control Centre situated in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Edo State, is the only specialist facility for the treatment of the disease in Nigeria and the West Africa sub-region.
The governor directed his commissioner for Health, Dr. David Osifo, to deliver the equipment within twenty -four hours and make them available for use at the hospital, while tasking the Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie and the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Hon. Paul Ohonbamu, to intensify Lassa Fever awareness campaign in all nook and cranny of the state.
Earlier in the week, the Edo State Government as part of its proactive measures to curtail the spread of the disease in the state, reactivated its Rapid Response Team and commenced contact tracing for confirmed cases of the disease.
The state government is also working closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for case management and disease surveillance.
Osifo, said the state government prevention and control of Lassa Fever is multi-sectoral involving the Ministries of Health, Environment, Agriculture, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Information, who are working together to put measures in place that will stop the further spread of the current outbreak.â€
Edo State and some other parts of the country are currently experiencing the outbreak of Lassa Fever with significant proportion of the Local Government Areas in Edo Central and Edo North senatorial districts of the state already involved in the outbreak while the others are at risk of being affected.
