By George Okoh In Makurdi
The Benue State Government has set up an Emergency Operations Centre for the treatment of suspected cases of Lassa fever and other potential epidemics in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Sunday Ongbabo, announced this in Makurdi, the state capital Monday.
He said the Emergency Operations Centre, which is established in conjunction with the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), is expected to carry out surveillance on all kinds of potential epidemics.
Ongbabo explained that the state government has put adequate measures in place including awareness campaigns and the training of health care givers on the early detection of infection, prevention, management and control of the disease.
He said a suspected case of Lassa fever is currently under laboratory investigation, but argued that the specie of rats responsible for the spread of Lassa fever is different from those eaten by Benue people as a delicacy.
