Lassa fever kills 3 in Benue

At least three persons, including a medical doctor, were said to have died of Lassa fever at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Orduen Abunku, who disclosed this to journalists in Makurdi yesterday, said the deceased were referred to the teaching hospital from another hospital, maintaining that clinical suspicion indicated that the ailment might be Lassa fever.

Abunku intimated that already, they have taken proactive steps by kitting all doctors in the hospital with protective equipment and administered anti-viral drugs to prevent spread of the disease, adding that another patient who contacted the ailment had been isolated from the rest of the patients in the hospital

“I am confident that with the steps we have taken, there would not be a wide spread of the disease. I also urge people to cover their food well to avoid rat faeces from entering them,” Abunku said.

Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Dr. Orkuda Malu, who also confirmed the deaths, said the blood samples of the deceased had been taken to Edo State for authentication.