Taraba State Government has disclosed that at least 18 persons have died from Lassa Fever in the state in 2024.
Acting Head, Clinical Services, the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo, Dr. Joseph Kumi, made this known during an interactive session with select journalists.
He said a medical doctor who contracted the disease survived and was recently discharged from hospital after treatment.
Kumi explained that the FMC sent 105 samples for testing between January and February, adding that 60 of the samples returned positive, 39 were negative and the remaining six results were being awaited.
He noted that the samples were being tested at Abuja or Bauchi because the centre’s molecular laboratory got burnt.
He said, “It is true that one of our doctors was affected. In fact, he was discharged last Saturday.
“The fact is that this year, the number of patients that were presented to the centre was actually on the high side compared to previous seasons and that is why it is a challenging thing to us.
“In fact we have written for more assistance from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the state government despite the fact that they have been doing well in assisting us.
“The number keeps increasing. Presently, we have 10 patients in our isolation wards. Some of them, the results are still being awaited.”
Kumi stated further that the centre usually sensitize their patients about the disease and on quick response whether they tested positive or negative.
He enjoined the people to maintain good hygiene and stop exposing their food to “rats that are the main carriers of the disease”.
