Lassa Fever Outbreak In Rivers State

Following the new case of Lassa Fever in Rivers State the Commissioner for Health for the State, Dr. Odagine Theophilus, says there is nothing to worry about regarding the reported outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.

The Commissioner who was interviewed earlier today discussed the outbreak of Lassa Fever and the efforts by the state government to curb its spread said that the state government was "taking care" of the primary health centre where the first case was managed and had finished burying the victims according to guidelines for managing the bodies of those who died from Lassa fever and other haemorrhage diseases.

"The hospital and the morgue have been decontaminated, the family house of the patient has been decontaminated " he said during the interview.

There had been questions as to how the disease could have spread to Rivers State considering its distance to Taraba State where the case was last reported, but Dr. Theophilus said that all efforts to link the Rivers case to Taraba was not successful.

The Commissioner admitted that this is not the first case of Lassa fever in the state as two cases were recorded same time in the previous year. He, however allayed fears that there might be more cases yet to be discovered.