The Katsina State government has disclosed that two residents have died of Lassa fever in the area.
The government stated that the dead toll of cases from the dreaded disease has risen to three following the initial death of a patient who died the state’s teaching hospital.
A Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina, Mohammed Abubakar, on Wednesday, said that one of the deceased is a native of Kafur, and the other from Funtua.
Abubakar said, “As I’m talking to you now, in Katsina State, three cases have been confirmed. Two died. One was from Kafur, the other one was from Funtua. The third case, a female patient whose husband recently died of the disease, is currently with us here in this isolation centre, as we are having this interview, she is s recuperating well.”
Abubakar, who doubles as Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, in the state, said the disease is proving deadlier this year, with a sharp rise in the number of deaths recorded among confirmed cases.
“Previously, the fatality rate ranged between 10 and 30 per cent, but this year, nearly one in four infected persons is dying.
“From January to date, more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed cases have been recorded nationwide, with about 145 deaths.
“The outbreak, which usually peaks between January and March, has taken a different geographical pattern this year,” he said.
The health practitioner urged health workers to treat every case of fever with caution and ensure strict use of Personal Protective Equipment.
Abubakar also identified the multimammate rat as the major carrier of the virus, describing the rodent as a small rat with multiple mammary glands and urged residents to take preventive measures to stop rats from entering homes.
He also warned parents against allowing children to hunt rats in bushes, noting that contact with the urine or droppings of infected rodents remains one of the major ways the disease spreads and also called on the government to reduce delays in laboratory testing.
