No Lassa fever outbreak in Kogi – Commissioner

The Kogi Commissioner for Health, Dr Adams Abdulazeez, has refuted reports of any outbreak of Lassa fever in any of the Local Government Areas of the state.

Abdulazeez, in a news briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday, said that there was no case of Lassa fever outbreak in the last four weeks in Kogi, as being speculated in some sections of the media.

The social media had reported that a student died of haemorrhagic fever and that people who came in contact with him had been isolated.

The commissioner said that the case of a deceased student, who was admitted to the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Lokoja, was not lassa fever.

Abdulazeez explained that the deceased student, who was admitted at FTH facility, presented complaints of fever and bleeding from the gum.

According to Abdulazeez, while samples were taken and sent to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Abuja, the patient unfortunately lost his life before the result was released.

The commissioner said that the result of the investigation came out to be negative to lassa fever.

The commissioner maintained that there had been no current outbreak of lassa fever in Kogi in the last few weeks.

“The suspected case has turned out to be negative for lassa fever.

“It is not only lassa fever that can make a patient to present bleeding from the gum. Other reasons could include blood dyscrasias and bleeding disorders,” he said

The commissioner, therefore, advised members of the public to disregard the report as no case of lassa fever had been reported in the state.