Ogun Engages Community Gate Keepers, Market Women to Curtail Lassa Fever

Ehime Alex

As part of preventive measures to keep out the spread of Lassa fever from its state, the Ogun State Government said it has trained community gate keepers and clusters of market women, just as it has involved them in a service to enlighten people about the dreaded disease, especially at the border areas of the state.

The new surveillance approach which was meant to reinforce the determination of the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration would be judiciously carried out across the three senatorial districts in the state.

Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye stated this while speaking to journalists at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) 12 in Abeokuta.

Ipaye said, “Here in Ogun State, as part of the efforts of the present administration to combat the Lassa fever disease, we have trained adequate number of Community Gate keepers and Market women clusters on the dangers and challenges posed by the deadly disease, as well as measures to identify it and the precautionary steps to take in case of any suspected case.”

The commissioner warned that early diagnosis was key to the prevention of the disease.
While stating that health workers have been saddled with the responsibility of treating every fever as Lassa case, Ipaye noted that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) had been provided to protect them (health workers) from the danger of contacting the disease.

“We made sure that we trained all health workers to the point every suspected case of fever is treated as Lassa, because, early diagnosis is critical to prevention. We have also procured Personal Protective Equipment to protect health workers from the danger of contacting the disease while attending to patients,” he stated.

The commissioner who added that the state was not resting on its oars as Lassa drugs and other materials have been prepositioned in the three isolation centres in the state to combat the deadly disease, urged the residents of the state to take seriously personal and environmental hygiene in order to be protected.