Posted on: 05:13 Tue, 19 Jan 2016



A patient on admission at the
Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti,
has tested positive to Lassa fever, the
State Government announced on
Monday.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr
Olurotimi Ojo, who broke the news
in Ado Ekiti at the stakeholders
meeting on Lassa fever, said the
state’s medical team was working
hard to save the patient, who has
already been isolated at the hospital.

Ojo said the Chief Medical Director
of the hospital, Dr. Lawrence
Ayodele, had confirmed to him that
the patient was a student of the
School of Nursing at the teaching
hospital.

He revealed that the patient had
been treated for malaria and
typhoid fever with high profile
antibiotics, but did not respond to
treatment. Further laboratory
investigation eventually came out
positive to the disease.

“Over the weekend, the state had
confirmed a case of Lassa fever that
is being managed at the Federal
Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti.

Treatment has commenced and the
patient is stable,” Dr. Ojo said.

“Immediately the patient was
diagnosed and confirmed, the
management began the process of
contact tracing. Once you have an
index case, there is tendency of
having a primary case and possible
spread and this could be dangerous.

“Though, the doctors are handling
the situation and monitoring the
situation very closely . So, nobody
has been quarantined after the
contact tracing.”

Ojo added that Governor Ayodele
Fayose had already prepared an
isolated ward within the premises of
Oba Adejugbe General Hospital, Ado
Ekiti, even before the outbreak of
the disease in the State.

“However, the situation is being
curtailed with the efforts from the
State government in collaboration
with the Federal Ministry of Health
and World Health Organisation,
through the office of the National
Centre for Disease Control,” he
added.

“The governor is also embarking on
public and town-to-town
sensitisation about Lassa fever
through the airing of jingles on the
state broadcasting corporation and
distribution of IEC materials to the
people.”

He advised the people of the state to
take precautionary measures and
refrain from taking risk that can
lead to the contact or spread of the
disease.