HEALTH IS WISE

Earlier reports had suspected Lassa Fever, but medics told Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Audu, who visited the affected areas yesterday, that it was a strange disease.

“We initially suspected Lassa Fever after getting some misleading reports about people bleeding around. So, we made a diagnosis for viral haemorrhagic fever (Lassa fever), but the result was negative,” Dr. Jannette Hathorn, a Consultant at ECWA Hospital, Egbe told Audu.

She said the first case was that of a child of two and half years, who died 12 hours after he was brought to the hospital.

“We are sure it is not Lassa fever; but our concern is that we do not know exactly what is happening. We have not arrived at a definitive diagnosis.

“Two adult patients were also brought here; one showed symptoms of ulcer-viral illness, but there was no bleeding component of any haemorrhagic symptom.

“We isolated them and both of them were treated for malaria. When they started improving, we let them go.

“Another parent brought a child to the hospital and pleaded for help. He said 50 people had died in their village with similar symptoms of bloodstained vomiting, diarrhoea and fever.

“When the child died, we called the World Health Organisation (WHO). Yesterday (Wednesday), their officials came and took samples of everything; we must know exactly what we are dealing with,” she said.

Confirming the situation, Audu described it as "serious", nothing that the visit was to assess it, “especially since many lives have been lost to the disease".