Edo
State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has ordered the immediate release of
N100 million as first tranche payment for the procurement of four
dialysis machines, ventilators, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),
drugs and other consumables required for the treatment of Lassa fever
patients.
Obaseki’s order followed report of the
rising number of Lassa fever patients brought from across the country to
the Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, in Irrua Specialist
Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Edo State, the only specialist facility for
the treatment of the disease in Nigeria and the West Africa sub-region.
The governor directed his Commissioner
for Health, Dr. David Osifo to deliver the equipment within 24 hours and
make them available for use at the hospital, while tasking his Special
Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie and the
Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Paul Ohonbamu, to
intensify Lassa fever awareness campaign in every nook and cranny of the
state.
Earlier in the week, the state government
as part of its proactive measures to curtail the spread of the disease,
reactivated its rapid response team and commenced contact tracing for
confirmed cases of the disease.
The state government is also working
closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for case
management and disease surveillance.
Osifo said the government prevention and
control of Lassa fever is multi-sectoral involving the ministries of
Health, Environment, Agriculture, Local Government and Chieftaincy
Affairs and Information, working to put in place measures that will stop
further spread of the current outbreak.
Edo and some states in the country are
currently experiencing the outbreak of Lassa fever with significant
proportion of the local government areas in Edo Central and North
senatorial districts of the state already involved in the outbreak while
others are at risk of being affected.
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