An unidentified 65-year-old woman from Anambra State has died in Delta State after she reportedly took an index case of Lassa fever to the state.
The woman who was first admitted at the St. Joseph’s Hospital, Asaba, the state capital then later transferred to the Federal Medical Centre.
Speaking to reporters in Asaba yesterday, the spokesman for the state’s ministry of health, Churchill Oyewo, revealed that the woman’s case was confirmed as Lassa fever at the Virology Laboratory, Specialist Hospital, Irrua, Edo state.
He further noted that consequent upon that discovery; the Rapid Response Team, RRT, of the state immediately isolated 22 people who had contact with the woman, putting them under observation.
The ministry added that five other samples had been sent for laboratory investigation, noting that it had informed the Federal Ministry of Health on the development, and that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has provided the necessary logistics to enable contact tracing and control measures.
It advised residents of the state to maintain high levels of personal and environmental hygiene as well as keep their food and water away from rats and rodents.