FG Reveals That Lassa Fever Has Killed 68 While Recording 718 Cases

Federal Government has announced that about 68 persons have been killed by lassa fever since the begining of 2017. Speaking at the first edition of the Lassa fever outbreak in Abuja, the Minister of Health, who was represented by the Minister of State for health, Dr Ehanire Osagie expressed sadness over the increasing case of the disease disclosing that while 718 cases have been recorded so far, 227 have been confirmed.Ehanire said, the record is the worst since the outbreak of Lassa fever in 1969. He also disclosed that the ministry of health is working in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to make provision for standard isolation wards and improve on surveillance.He also promised that the federal government would work with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure that care givers are well protected while providing care for Lassa fever patients. Speaking earlier, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu noted that the NCDC was planning on setting up a risk communication plan in affected areas so that everyone is clear on where the responsibility of all the three tiers of government were.