Lassa fever kills doctor in Port Harcourt
A medical doctor, Dr. Living Jamala,
has died of the contagious Lassa fever
disease in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Dr. Jamala, who died yesterday, worked
at the Disease Control Unit at the state-
owned Braithwaite Memorial Specialist
Hospital (BMSH) in Port Harcourt.
He was suspected to have contracted
the virus when he treated patients
inflicted with Lasser fever.
The deceased hailed from Abua, in
Abua/Odual Local Government Area of
the state.
His death occurred few hours before
medical doctors in the state embarked
on indefinite strike in solidarity with two
of their colleagues abducted by gunmen.
Late Dr. Jamala has become the third
victim of Lassa fever, after the outbreak
of the epidemic in the state a fortnight
ago.
Daily Sun gathered that over 60 people
have been placed under surveillance
following the outbreak of the disease in
the state.
A nursing mother and her two weeks
baby died between Wednesday,
December 30, 2015, and January 1, from
the contagious disease.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Theophilus
Adangbe, recently told newsmen, in Port
Harcourt that 12 medical personnel who
attended to the victims, at a public
health centre, and 50 others are now
under observation.
He urged the public to take issues on
hygiene seriously, and to cover their
meals as well as foodstuffs.
Meanwhile, Health Minister, Prof Isaac
Adewole yesterday described the
outbreak of Lassa fever a national
embarrassment to Nigeria .
Adewole said this during his
submissions before the Senate
Committee on Health on efforts being
made by his ministry at curtailing the
outbreak. He said the disease, being a
native of West Africa, is supposed to
have been rendered impotent over the
years.
“Unlike Ebola, which took the nation by
surprise last year, after being imported
from Liberia by an infected person,
Lassa fever, which has over the years
registered its presence in the country, is
supposed not to have taken us by
surprise had infected people reported
promptly.”
He disclosed that the current outbreak
started in August last year in Foka
village in Niger State, but snowballed
into an outbreak across nine states of
the Federation due to non reportage of
its infection and death of victims to the
appropriate authorities.
He consequently urged Nigerians to
report at the hospitals any fever treated
by them without any relief after two
days, saying that is the commonest
preliminary symptoms of the deadly
disease before getting to the advance
level of victims committing blood, or
blood running from their nostrils, eyes or
ears.
Statistically, the minister said the
disease, which is very common in
Nigeria, Guinea and Sierra Leone, with
infection of about 300, 000 people on
any year of outbreak, recorded 1, 776
cases in Nigeria in 2012, 1, 195 in 2013,
and 499 cases in 2015.
A medical doctor, Dr. Living Jamala,
has died of the contagious Lassa fever
disease in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Dr. Jamala, who died yesterday, worked
at the Disease Control Unit at the state-
owned Braithwaite Memorial Specialist
Hospital (BMSH) in Port Harcourt.
He was suspected to have contracted
the virus when he treated patients
inflicted with Lasser fever.
The deceased hailed from Abua, in
Abua/Odual Local Government Area of
the state.
His death occurred few hours before
medical doctors in the state embarked
on indefinite strike in solidarity with two
of their colleagues abducted by gunmen.
Late Dr. Jamala has become the third
victim of Lassa fever, after the outbreak
of the epidemic in the state a fortnight
ago.
Daily Sun gathered that over 60 people
have been placed under surveillance
following the outbreak of the disease in
the state.
A nursing mother and her two weeks
baby died between Wednesday,
December 30, 2015, and January 1, from
the contagious disease.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Theophilus
Adangbe, recently told newsmen, in Port
Harcourt that 12 medical personnel who
attended to the victims, at a public
health centre, and 50 others are now
under observation.
He urged the public to take issues on
hygiene seriously, and to cover their
meals as well as foodstuffs.
Meanwhile, Health Minister, Prof Isaac
Adewole yesterday described the
outbreak of Lassa fever a national
embarrassment to Nigeria .
Adewole said this during his
submissions before the Senate
Committee on Health on efforts being
made by his ministry at curtailing the
outbreak. He said the disease, being a
native of West Africa, is supposed to
have been rendered impotent over the
years.
“Unlike Ebola, which took the nation by
surprise last year, after being imported
from Liberia by an infected person,
Lassa fever, which has over the years
registered its presence in the country, is
supposed not to have taken us by
surprise had infected people reported
promptly.”
He disclosed that the current outbreak
started in August last year in Foka
village in Niger State, but snowballed
into an outbreak across nine states of
the Federation due to non reportage of
its infection and death of victims to the
appropriate authorities.
He consequently urged Nigerians to
report at the hospitals any fever treated
by them without any relief after two
days, saying that is the commonest
preliminary symptoms of the deadly
disease before getting to the advance
level of victims committing blood, or
blood running from their nostrils, eyes or
ears.
Statistically, the minister said the
disease, which is very common in
Nigeria, Guinea and Sierra Leone, with
infection of about 300, 000 people on
any year of outbreak, recorded 1, 776
cases in Nigeria in 2012, 1, 195 in 2013,
and 499 cases in 2015.
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