One person has been reported dead while two others were reportedly quarantined following the outbreak of Lassa fever in Taraba State barely three days into 2016.
This development was announced by the state Commissioner of Health, Innocent Vakkai.
He said: “One person died and two others quarantined and their blood samples have already been taken to Irrua Specialists’ Hospital in Edo State for further confirmation.”
Vakkai said there was no cause for an alarm as the state government had responded to the outbreak quickly.
Explaining how the fever spreads, Vakkai said: “People usually get infected with the Lassa Virus after exposure to infected rodents, while person to person transmission occurs through direct contact with the sick person.
“Other precautionary measures include putting food in rodent proof containers and wearing protections such as masks, gloves, gowns among others.”
He advised the general public to quickly report to the nearest hospital if they experience any of the possible symptom of the disease such as nasal, anal and mouth bleeding.
