Update on Lassa fever: Death rises to 41 in Ondo State

The Ondo State Government has confirmed that Lassa fever has claimed lives of 41 persons in the last ten weeks, with five local government areas established to have been affected, and this is coming as the fear of coronavirus spread in the country is being tackled.

Penpushing reports that, the State Epidemiologist, Stephen Fagbemi, who confirmed this  on Saturday, explained that  the latest death record was  out of a total of 273 confirmed cases after suspected cases of 677.

The record also has it that the new local governments affected include:  Ile Oluji/Okeigbo, Idanre, Ifedore, Akoko North East, and Ondo West ,while the  disease had earlier been reported in Owo, Ose, Akure North, Akoko South West and Akure South.

Penpushing further reports that  Fagbemi,  lamented the change of focus from Lassa fever to CoronaVirus, pointing out that the latter is yet to kill anyone in the country, while Lassa fever is still very much fatal in the country.

The Epidemiologist said the analysis would show that there was still a lot to do in dealing with the Lassa virus, calling for more focus in the eradication of the disease ,adding that a total of 216 persons had been treated and discharged, while 27 persons were still on admission.

Penpushing also reports that, Fagbemi said the State Government is providing a subsidised treatment for the disease in the state, and had assured it was spending a whopping N1.6 million in the treatment of a single patient.

The Epidemiologist disclosed that the deaths, were as a result of late arrival of patients at the treatment centre, after which they  would have suffered a number of complications, pointing out that, the  Federal Medical Centre, Owo, provides the treatment centre for all cases in the State.