Bauchi Records 30 New Cases of Lassa Fever

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Thirty people have been confirmed positive of Lassa fever in six local government areas in Bauchi State, following a surge of the disease due to the recent harvest of this year’s farming season.

THISDAY reported that the affected local government areas include Bauchi, Bogoro, Ganjuwa, Kirfi, Tafawa Balewa and Toro.

The Executive Chairman of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA), Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, gave the figure yesterday during an interactive session with journalists in Bauchi on the current situation of the disease.

Mohammed explained that the state has recorded 153 probable cases from January to December this year, out of which 136 were tested and eight people were confirmed dead of the disease.

He said that the state government has taken necessary measures to ensure safety of the people The executive chairman of the SPHCDA also called on people of the state to ensure personal and environmental hygiene to protect the spread of Lassa fever and other communicable diseases.

Mohammed said that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) had approved three hundred and fifty thousand doses of Pfizer BioNtech vaccine to be administered to those who have their first and second doses of AstraZeneca of Moderna vaccines in the state.

It will be recalled that a number of lives, including prominent traditional ruler, were lost to Lassa fever in the state in 2020, which led to the constitution of a taskforce on Lassa fever and COVID-19 headed by the State Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela.