Lassa Fever: 55 placed under surveillance in Osun -Govt.

State Government of Osun yesterday said 55 contacts traced to the index case of Lassa Fever in the state have been placed under surveillance.

Addressing newsmen in Osogbo, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Temitope Oladele, said the state could not be said to have recorded case of Lassa fever, because the confirmatory test that would have confirmed that the index case died of the disease, could not be run.

He explained that, so far, none of those being monitored have shown symptoms of the disease, adding that the state is in contact with the hospital where the doctor died to be abreast of new development on the matter.

According to him, the 33-year-old doctor that died in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, OAUTHC, on Monday, whose blood sample proved positive in first test, lived in an unnamed neighboring state and only came to Osun on visit.

He added that second sample that should have been used for confirmatory test could not be taken from the index case before he died.

But in preparation for any eventuality, Oladele said monitoring room has been set up in the state ministry of health with mobile lines giving out to people to report any suspicious case.

He added that doctors working in all local government areas in the state have been put on red alert, while other health practitioners have been mobilised to prepare ground in case any incident of Lassa is reported.

Oladele further averred that massive sensitisation is being embarked upon by government for people, especially in the grassroots on how the disease can be contacted.