Kaduna quarantines suspected Lassa Fever victims – Commissioner

The Kaduna State Government on Tuesday said one person is being treated of Lassa Fever, while others who have come into contact with the victim are being monitored.
The Commissioner of Health, Prof. Andrew Nok, said this in a message to a one-day interactive session on Routine Immunization, Budget Scorecard and Government priorities in Child and Family Health.
Nok said the victim, from Chikun Local Government, is receiving treatment at the Infection Control Centre, Kakuri, Kaduna, while “her contacts are currently being monitored for signs and symptoms for 21 days”.
Nok, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ibrahim Jere, said six persons had died from the disease out of the 38 suspected cases reported in the state.
The commissioner disclosed that the state had released N37.57 million to UNICEF as its contribution for the procurement of therapeutic food supplements for the management of acute malnutrition.
He said the supplement had been distributed to selected hospitals in Zaria, Kaduna, Makarfi, Jema’a and Birnin Gwari.
According to him, the administration has enhanced screening of pregnant women for HIV, in which 126,398 were recently tested and 354 found to be positive and referred for Anti-Retroviral Therapy.
On malaria control, Nok said the state government would soon distribute 271,262 Long Lasting Insecticidal ‎Nets, 57,320 Malaria Rapid Diagnostic test kits and assorted anti-malarial drugs.
He said the items would be distributed to 391 health facilities across the 23 Local Governments Areas of the state.
According to him, the government has deployed 60 community health workers for tuberculosis detection in six communities, where 5 per cent cases of TB had been detected.
NAN.