Once again, the perennial Lassa fever scourge has hit Nigeria, leaving in its wake deaths, sorrow, despondency and anguish for the deceased families, political leaderships, health officials and the general public. Tuesday week when the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, gave an update of the outbreak of the disease, it was obvious that the nation has a serious health challenge before it.
The statistics released by the minister during the emergency National Council of Health meeting in Abuja called to assess the situation confirmed 63 deaths in 212 suspected cases found in 64 local government areas across 17 states of the federation. The listed affected states are Bauchi, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Oyo and Ondo. Others are Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Nasarawa, Lagos, Delta, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Zamfara and Kogi.
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The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, also featured on the list. By every standard, the situation is both scary and pathetic. This newspaper reasons within the context of the rapid increase in both the fatality and spread of the disease between the first reported cases in Bauchi State last November and the date of the current update. For example, on January 6 during the first ministerial briefing on the scourge by Professor Adewoye, only eight states –– Bauchi, Nassarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo and Oyo –– had been affected. The total number of suspected cases then was 76 with 35 deaths. Just 13 days later, the figures of reported cases and deaths climbed to 212 and 63 respectively.
The surge in both suspected cases and deaths, coming after the Federal Government had articulated containment measures, makes the development troubling.
Among such measures are:
i. Immediate release of adequate quantities of ribavirin, the specific antiviral drug for Lassa fever to all the affected states for prompt and adequate treatment of cases.
ii. Deployment of rapid response teams from the Ministry to all the affected states to assist in investigating and verifying the cases and tracing of contracts.
iii. Sensitisation and mobilisation of clinicians and relevant healthcare workers in areas of patient management and care in the affected states.
iv. Urging affected states to intensify awareness creation on the signs and symptoms and general hygiene.
The Federal Ministry of Health also reportedly sensitised health facilities in the country on the routine infection prevention and control measures. Such measures include free treatment for victims; safety measures for family members and health care workers; and effective response template with emphasis on speedy communication that would facilitate early warning, among others.
The World Health Organization (WHO) was put on notice for the necessary synergy, while the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was mobilised for effective coordination of all response activities. Above all, the Federal Government also took surveillance and social health educationenhancing measures with emphasis on information dissemination. These measures put in place by the Federal Government appear proactive enough and thus deserve commendation.
However, the mere fact that the elaborative measures were unable to meet national containment expectations proves some of them their inadequacies. This is the position of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
Its national president, Dr Muhammad Askira, picked holes in the emergency response arrangement set up by the FG to address the issue.
The Senate faulted the ineffective sensitisation campaigns of the containment strategy, while the specialists at the Lassa Fever Research Centre at the Irrua Specialist Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, accused the Federal Government of not giving the scourge the attention it deserved. As credible as these observable lapses on the part of the federal authorities appear, we align with the position of Professor Adewoye that the bad situation the country has found itself on the issue is not helped by what he called a ‘‘conspiracy of silence among the statesÂ’’. ““There is a high level of denial and a conspiracy of silence in some of our states.
I think people take delight in saying we have no case and to me that is not the issue””, was how he put it. We believe the first right step to the treatment of an ailment is full disclosure by the patients.
This allows for effective diagnosis and treatment. The empirical validation of this prognosis is the effective containment strategy for the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease scourge in the country. One noticeable defect in the Lassa fever containment strategy is poor public enlightenment.
Our health authorities have a responsibility to tell the citizens what is expected of them to prevent a further spread of the infection, and for individual victims, how to access the right medical care. Such messages should be in English, Pidgin and major Nigerian languages. According to experts, the period between now and next March, when the disease vector, multimammate rats, procreate heavily, is portentous. So, the nation still needs the enlightenment campaigns. Such campaigns should also emphasise environmental hygiene.
Nigerians must see the imperative to clean their environment and ensure that ratsÂ’’ urine and droppings do not mix with their foods. Particularly in the rural areas of the country, there should be proactive and remediation measures to control the population of rodents, the Lassa virus vector. During treatment, it is advisable that the sharing of medical equipment such as hypodermic needles and syringes should be avoided.
Source: National Mirror News
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