Lassa Fever Recorded in 7 States - NCDC

The Mastomys rodent, vector of Lassa fever virus


 Following increasing cases of Lassa fever in the country, the Federal Government has called on Nigerians to maintain high food and personal hygiene.

The Federal Government made the call in a statement issued by the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC), yesterday.
NCDC, while advising Nigerians to keep their foods from rats and other house rodents, urged that suspected Lassa cases be quickly reported to ensure treatment commences on time.
Lassa fever virus


“Lassa fever is curable when there is rapid laboratory testing to confirm the disease, leading to early commencement of treatment”, it said.
Explaining further, the NCDC disclosed that it has confirmed 19 Lassa fever cases so far in seven states namely; Ogun, Taraba, Nasarawa, Edo, Ondo, Rivers and Plateau states.
It also revealed that six people have been killed of the disease already, urging health workers to take caution at the cause of their duties.
Health workers in full Personal Protective Equipment 

Part of the statement reads, “The NCDC wants to remind healthcare workers that they are at a higher risk of contracting Lassa. They are therefore encouraged to ensure strict infection prevention and control practices at points of care.

“All febrile illnesses must be tested for malaria before treatment; tests that return negative for malaria may be Lassa fever and must flag suspicion.

“We encourage frontline health workers to report all suspected cases of Lassa to their Local Government Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers and/or State Epidemiologists.”

BY: DOYIN OJOSIPE
Leadership News



Decontamination exercise being carried out by Environmental Health Officers 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ethical and Professional Code of Conduct for Environmental Health Practitioners in Nigeria

Image
          The Ethical and Professional Code of Conduct for Environmental Health Practitioners in Nigeria The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) was established by Act 11 of 2002. Section 27(a)(b)  of the Act empowers the Council to make incidental and supplementary provisions for different circumstances. Therefore, the ethical and professional code of conduct for Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in Nigeria is hereby stated for strict compliance by all EHOs. Ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, which means character. Ethics as a subject is the science of morals, and branch of philosophy which is concerned with the study of human character and the conduct and rules of behavior. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. A code of ethics provides members of a profession with standard of behavior and principles to be observed regarding individual moral and professional obligations...
Read more

WOLEWOLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: STAND ATTENTION

Image
With his crisp white uniform over brown trouser or skirt and the brown beret over his head, the Environmental Health Officer is one of the most respected and feared public officers right from the colonial days to the present day Nigeria. He is feared not because he wields a gun but rather because his job permits him to search into the crevices of the homes where the Police, without a warrant, can't reach. His purpose, is none other than to ensure that the environment is kept in such state that it won't be hazardous to those living within it. The job of the health officers also known as the Sanitary Inspector, takes him from house to house, as well as any other premises such as food premises, factories, schools, offices, shops, drainage, sewage treatment plant, airport and airplane, ships, including the abatement of pollution, whether it's air, land, water or noise. Indeed it is a broad-spectrum assignment. You can imagine why you may not see him in your street eve...
Read more

FG to Give Free New Sets of Uniform to Environmental Health Officers

Image
FG to Give Free New Sets of Uniform to Environmental Health Officers The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria, which is domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Environment has concluded plans to give a complete set of uniform and it's full accessories to all Licensed EHOs in Nigeria. Sanitarians during a Thematic MCPD session The gesture is part of the government's effort to rejuvenate the profession in all the nooks and crannies of the nation. Wolewole.com reliably gathered that the materials are already on ground and will be distributed to each state of the Federation. In his address during a function in Kuchikawu, Nasarawa state on Friday February 4, 2017 the Registrar/CEO of EHORECON, Dr. Abonyi Dominic announced that plans are already concluded on the mode of distribution. He affirmed that only EHOs with the current year practicing licence will benefit from the largesse. Dr. Abonyi Domini...
Read more