Ebonyi State government has confirmed the death of two persons in recent Lassa fever outbreak in the state this year.
The state’s commissioner for health, Daniel Umezuruike, gave the confirmation in Abakaliki on Saturday.
According to him, 10 other cases have been recorded in the state, five of which have been treated and discharged.
The other five are still receiving treatment at the Virology Centre built by the state government at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.
They are said to be in stable condition.
The commissioner said the two deaths were as a result of late presentation.
“One (of the victims) came from Enugu State. The deaths were due to late presentation, in fact, by the time the child came, he was already very bad, bleeding from different orifices, which is the terminal stage. But the medical workers tried all they could but could not salvage the patient. The second one actually died before presentation,” he said.
“The confirmed cases are 12. Five have been treated and discharged while five are on admission now doing very well.”
Mr Umezuruike said the Virology Centre, which is the only centre for such in the entire Southeast, has all the facilities to treat such diseases.
“The truth is that our management in the virology centre is almost like 100 percent success because we have the dialysis machines; we have all the facilities to test immediately and confirm whether the person has Lassa fever or not”
He, however, admonished residents and people of the region to always bring the suspected infected patients to the hospital on time so as to be able to save their lives.
“And once you confirm and commence treatment, the prognosis is always very good. Lassa fever is preventable and curable,” he said.
