Lassa fever spreads to Nigeria's oil hub

A fresh case of Lassa fever, a disease transmitted by rodents, has been confirmed by officials in Port Harcourt, Nigeria's oil hub and capital of Rivers State, indicating that the disease has spread to the country's southeast region.

Rivers State commissioner for health Theophilus Odagme told reporters on Wednesday that a patient who was recently diagnosed has been expertly managed at a private hospital and discharged.

The oil-rich Nigerian state, which is home to thousands of expatriates, is collaborating with the World Health Organization, the private hospital and family of the Lassa fever victim to ensure the process of decontamination and contact are effectively carried out, the official said.

He attributed the quick recovery of the patient to early treatment, saying the government was also on top of the situation.

The state government has urged all hands to be on deck to manage future cases of Lassa fever.

The Nigerian government has mandated the National Center for Disease Control to investigate, prevent and control the possible outbreak of the disease.

Lassa fever is usually transmitted to humans when they are exposed to food or water contaminated by the saliva and excreta of infected rats. In some cases, Lassa fever has similar symptoms with malaria.

Altogether, six people have died due to the spread of Lassa fever in the West African country since November.

On Monday, Nigerian authorities confirmed four deaths in the cases of Lassa fever in the central state of Nasarawa.

Last month, a senior health practitioner and a mortuary attendant at the Federal Medical Center in Abeokuta, the capital of the southwestern state of Ogun, also died of the disease.

More than 80 people were killed by a Lassa fever outbreak early last year in Nigeria. Endit