OGUN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Following the death of a 300-level Microbiology student of Federal University of Lokoja (FUL), Samuel Agu, on sunday, there has been fears over a possible outbreak of Lassa fever in the state capital.
Unconfirmed reports have it that a male student of the university fell sick and was taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja where his sample was taken and sent to Abuja for screening, but he died before the result came out.
An X user had, on sunday, posted a video showing what looked like fully masked health workers with people crying in the background.
Captioning the video “(it) looks like there is a disease outbreak here in Lokoja, (we) lost a student yesterday to haemorrhagic fever. I don’t know what that is, but other people who were in contact with the deceased in the last 21 days are going to be kept in an isolation centre.”
Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) at FMC, Lokoja, Dr Ebune Ojochide told voiceofnaija.ng that the boy was admitted to FMC last Wednesday, having been ill for about three weeks.
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According to the guardian checks, from preliminary investigation, the hospital had suspected that the sickness which led to the death of the student might be connected with Lassa fever and had to take special precautions in taking the corpse away.
A reliable source at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Prevention and Control(NCDC) asserted that the post was true, but added that it had not been ascertained whether the student in question died of Lassa fever or not.
Meanwhile the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of FUL, Daniel Nwakwo, said though the cause of the student’s death was still unknown, the sample tested negative for Lassa fever.
He added that the immediate contacts of the deceased were not isolated but were advised to minimise contact with people.
Lasaa Fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the Arenaviridae family. Humans usually contract the Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats.
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About 4,726 suspected cases of Lassa fever, 776 confirmed cases, and 142 deaths have been recorded in 27 states across 123 Local councils in the country as of the first quarter 2024.
The last Lassa fever Outbreak in Kogi was in April 2022, with 41 persons affected in nine local councils.
A statement by the permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, Daniel Alonge, in April 2022, listed Idah,Iibaji, Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Okene, Okehi, Kabba, and Adavi, as the affected councils.