Chai! My people, Lassa fever don set for Naija gbagam! NCDC don release report wey show say we get 318 confirmed cases and 70 deaths. Na serious matter o! Case fatality rate don reach 22 percent, and e don raise plenty questions about how we fit catch am early, get treatment and how our states dey prepare for this wahala.
Dr. Jide Idris, wey be Director-General for NCDC, come yarn dis one on Friday for Abuja during press briefing wey dey hot like jollof rice. E come talk say na only five states dey cause wahala for 91 percent of the cases. If you gree say you no sabi geography, make I enlighten you: only 10 Local Government Areas (LGAs) dey responsible for 68 percent of the sickness wahala. E no finish there, 15 healthcare workers don even catch am!
NCDC don activate their Incident Management System (IMS) to coordinate the national response wey dey happen. Dem dey meet weekly for National Lassa Fever Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to check wetin dey happen and as wetin dey go fit help. Rapid Response Teams don land for states like Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, Plateau, Benue and Jigawa, and dem de plan to carry more teams go where e dey needed.
Dr. Idris come talk say dem don distribute lab testing materials across their network. E say dem dey also supply personal protective equipment (PPE), treatment supplies, and even dialysis support for cases wey no dey shake well. This one na serious effort wey dey show say dem no dey slack.
But my people, e no be all sweet talk. Dr. Idris reveal wetin don dey happen for the past two years about why healthcare workers dey get infected – poor Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practices, low suspicion level for areas wey dey heavily burdened, and people dey fear to seek care because of stigma.
Dem don send letters to Commissioners for Health to make sure say IPC compliance for hospitals strong like concrete. Dem dey try guide health workers on how to protect themselves, and also dey give public health information on how we fit prevent the spread, like rodent control and safe food storage.
As e be, dem don catch some challenges wey dey affect their response. Dr. Idris talk say weak ownership at state level, gaps in contact tracing, no enough money for awareness campaigns, and poor data reporting dey give dem headache. E come even mention say some treatment centres dey operate below standard, with cases of patients wey don run away and wahala with safe burial protocols.
He also express concern for dialysis machines wey dem donate no dey fully utilized for some facilities, and high charges for some centres fit limit people wey need care. E stress say to control this outbreak well, stronger coordination at the state level dey very important. State governments gatz step up their game, intensify active case search, and make sure say nobody dey block treatment access.
Collabo dey go on with Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant bodies under One Health approach. Naija, we gatz understand say outbreak containment dey start from community level, and e need strong political commitment from our leaders to fit reduce deaths and stop further spread.
Lassa fever na acute viral hemorrhagic illness wey come from Lassa virus, wey don dey around since 1969 for Borno State. Na this virus dey carry by rat wey dem dey call multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis). We sabi say humans fit catch am from contact with rat excreta or contaminated food—na why we gatz dey careful!
Though many infections dey mild or even no symptoms at all, about 20 percent fit develop serious wahala like fever, headache, and blood issues. Di sickness wey dey peak during dry season when rodents dey waka plenty. We no get any vaccine wey don clear, so control focus on community hygiene, rodent control, early detection, supportive care and antiviral treatment.
Public health efforts for Naija dey concentrate on strong surveillance, risk communication, and better clinical and lab response. Na so we go fit tackle this Lassa fever wahala head-on!
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