ONDO PARTNERS NCDC TOWARDS PREVENTING LASSA FEVER OUTBREAK

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ONDO PARTNERS NCDC TOWARDS PREVENTING LASSA FEVER OUTBREAK

…As Head of Service charges stakeholders on proactive measures

The Ondo State Government has given marching orders to relevant MDAs to take proactive measures that would rid the state of the recent outbreak of lassa fever.

The state Head of Service, Bayo Philip gave the charge while receiving a team of the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, and relevant state MDAs in his office in Akure, the state capital today.

While noting that the issue of the fight against the scourge had featured in all recent meetings of the State Executive Council, Philip stressed the commitment of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to winning the fight against lassa fever and other diseases in the state.

According to a statement signed by Director of Information in the office of the Head of Service, Sina Adeyeye, Mr. Philip therefore called on the state Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Environment as well as other relevant MDAs to, as a matter of urgency come up with proactive measures to stem the tide of the yearly reoccurrence of lassa fever in the state

‘I expect concerned Permanent Secretaries will come up with what needs to be done as immediate measure and what we must do to sustain this year-in-year-out. Is it in terms of drug supply, in terms of collaboration, in terms of public enlightenment and education, or in terms of environmental cleanness?
‘All these must be integrated and everyone must do his or her part to achieve success in the fight against the disease.’ He said.

The Head of Service also charges the team to get private health facilities practitioners involved so that they would know where their efforts stop and when to refer patients for treatment in appropriate facilities across the state.

Noting that the unhygienic display of food items accounted for most reported cases of lassa fever, Philip called on Traditional and Religious leaders to join hands with the government to ensure residents adhere to the hygienic handling of food items to be consumed by the people.

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Foluke Tunde-Daramola, who led the delegation, said the synergy with the NCDC was informed by the recent prevalence of lassa fever in the state and the urgent need to address it.

According to her, relevant state MDAs such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Environment would be working with the NCDC team.

Also, in her comment, the leader of the NCDC team, Dr. Olubunmi Olopha, said the National Centre for Disease Control had deployed a team of experts to provide the necessary support to the state in the face of the lassa fever outbreak.

According to her, not less than 90 out of about 200 suspected cases had been confirmed since the reported outbreak in the state which has necessitated the synergy between NCDC and the state government to combat the scourge frontally.

She urged healthcare providers to desist from delaying in referring suspected cases to appropriate facilities within the state as this would reduce deaths resulting from the disease.