Only two persons died of Lassa fever in Katsina State – Perm Sec

The Katsina State Government said on Sunday that only two persons died following the outbreak of Lassa fever in the area.
Dr. Kabir Mustapha, the Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Health, made this known to newsmen in Katsina.
Mustapha said the disease was imported from neighbouring Kaduna State by the relatives of a deceased victim of the disease.
Mustapha said three other persons, who took active part in the burial of the corpse of the deceased victim, contracted the disease.
According to him, the infected persons were immediately taken to the isolation centre at Babbar-ruga to avoid spreading the disease.
He told reporters that another case of the disease was imported to the state from Gwagwada, Abuja although the patient later died at the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina.
The permanent secretary said 11 medical staff of the centre had been quarantined and that seven of them tested negative following laboratory tests that were carried out on them.
Mustapha said out of 54 blood samples that were taken for laboratory test, six tested positive to Lassa fever.
He stated that the infected persons, who responded to treatment, were discharged.
The permanent secretary, who urged members of the public not to stigmatise those that were treated and discharged, advised them to report any suspected case of the disease to the nearest medical facility to prevent the disease from spreading further.
NAN.